Do we ever have enough of anything in this life? What makes us happy? We see a lot of articles here on read.cash about how to be happy. As far as I am concerned, they really miss the mark.
We think if we could simply climb one more rung up the success ladder of life, it is then that we could truly find lasting happiness. But that never happens, does it? Admit it. There is always something else we desire and then another and another. Sooner or later, we have to recognize that absolutely nothing material in this world is going to satisfy our hearts. Nothing.
Remember King Solomon?
Three thousand years ago, there was a man who made it to the very top rung of the ladder of success. His name was Solomon, and he was the third king of Israel and the richest man of his time. He had hundreds of wives and concubines, impressive achievements inclusive of the Temple and his personal palace (which was better than the Temple God asked him to build), and all the pleasures he could possibly ever want.
He was one of the few decent kings of Israel, the Elon Musk of his day if you will. Can you imagine having all of that wealth at your immediate disposal? I know that is what many people desire. We read about it all the time here on the platform. Years ago I was one of them.
I thought to myself, "If I could only win the 350 million lottery! Wow, babe" I told my wife, "I'd buy you that fancy 3-bedroom condo in Bonifacio Global City, and I's buy myself a new black (or red) Lamborghini."
But I finally realized that happiness came and went on a continuous basis, and that nothing lasted forever but joy. See, there is a big difference between happiness and joy. Joy is always there in one's heart no matter what situation one faces, whereas happiness is a roller coaster of emotions that can change in a flash depending on our circumstances.
The King wakes up
Like the king, one day I came to the realization where, "I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).
During our lives we have an opportunity to choose to be like King Solomon or we can choose to have otherwise. Our happiness does not have to depend on our circumstances.
A question and an answer
How is it that we are ever seeking after some new pleasure, some new accomplishment, some new source of money that creates wealth, only to be really disappointed in the end? Well, here's the answer! It is simply because we eternal beings can only be satisfied by that which is eternal.
Think about it
The Lord our God has put an abundance of eternity in our hearts. Yet here we are, always trying to fill our heart one bucket at a time: a bucket of money here, a bucket of pleasure there, a bucket of accomplishment over there.
But if we stop and consider this futile pursuit, we should really wonder why we are not getting anywhere close to the lasting happiness that we constantly seek.
The solution
In order to find true fulfillment and joy in our lives, we absolutely require an eternal purpose. Let me ask you, what could be more eternal than teaming up with God in carrying out His purposes? You see, the key to fulfillment in our lives is carrying out the mission of God by bringing people into His eternal kingdom. God created us to do His will and fulfill His purposes for His pleasure.
Ponder this. What will it take you to understand the fact that happiness is fleeting and that apart from God there is no joy?
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No one but God could give people enduring euphoria, Satan doesn't have anything great to give. We can just find the genuine importance of Joy in His quality, everything in this world will die, however not his assertions.