Randy Alcorn - Gods Promise of Happiness

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Gods Promise of Happiness

Copyright 2015 by Randy Alcorn. All rights reserved.

This booklet is adapted from Happiness 2015 by Randy Alcorn.

Cover photograph of meadow copyright Andrey tiyk/Shutterstock. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph of sun copyright Kushnirov Avraham/Dollar Photo Club. All rights reserved.

Designed by Jennifer Ghionzoli

Edited by Stephanie Rische

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked CEB are taken from the Common English Bible, copyright 2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version, copyright 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked CJB are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible, copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation in Todays English Version, Second Edition, copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked GW are taken from GODS WORD, 1995 Gods Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version. Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NET are taken from the New English Translation, NET Bible, copyright 19962006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked PHILLIPS are taken from The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips, copyright J. B. Phillips, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1972. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked WE are taken from THE JESUS BOOK The Bible in Worldwide English. Copyright 1969, 1971, 1996, 1998 by SOON Educational Publications, Derby DE65 6BN, UK. Used by permission.

ISBN 978-1-4964-1145-7

ISBN 978-1-4964-1151-8 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-4964-1150-1 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-4964-1152-5 (Apple)

Build: 2015-09-08 17:10:31

THE HAPPINESS GOD OFFERS

My dear brothers and sisters, if anybody in the world ought to be happy, we are the people.... How boundless our privileges! How brilliant our hopes!

CHARLES SPURGEON

Do we seek happiness because were sinners or because were human? Should faith in God be dragged forward by duty or propelled by delight? Must we choose between holiness and happiness?

Much of my time with my wife, Nanci, and our family and friends is filled with fun and laughter. The God we love is the enemy of sin and the creator of pleasure and humor. (True, Gods gifts of art, movies, books, sports, work, food, drink, sex, and money can all be used selfishly and sinfully. In a fallen world, what cant be?)

I was an empty, unhappy teenager when I first heard the Good News about Jesus. Soon I put my trust in him and experienced a deep, heartfelt happiness unlike anything Id ever known. Nevertheless, theres a paradigm-shifting doctrine I was never taught in church, Bible college, or seminary: the happiness of God. Scripture says about Christ, Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked (1 John 2:6). If Jesus walked around mostly miserable, it makes sense that we would. But if he was happy, shouldnt we be happy too?

Christians throughout church history understood that happiness, gladness, feasting, and partying are Gods gifts, yet many Christians today live as if faith drains happiness! Life isnt easy, of course, but believers have the benefit of walking the hard roads hand in hand with a Savior and King whose love for us is immeasurable. Who has more reason to be happy than we do?

There are a lot of promises in this booklet most of them are Gods, not mine. All his promises are fully trustworthy. Why? Because theyre blood-bought, paid for by an all-powerful Lord who loves you radically.

Ask your Creator to speak to you, especially as you contemplate the Scripture Ive included. May you find greater happiness in God than youve ever known beginning now and never ending.

The people ransomed by the L ORD ... will come to Zion singing with joy. Everlasting happiness will be on their heads as a crown. They will be glad and joyful. They will have no sorrow or grief.

ISAIAH 35:10, GW

Randy Alcorn

FALL 2015

OUR UNIVERSAL SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS

DO WE HAVE A CHOICE WHETHER OR NOT TO DESIRE HAPPINESS?

Augustine wrote in the fifth century, Every man, whatsoever his condition, desires to be happy.