C.S. Lewis once wrote to a friend saying,

“It is a Christian duty, as you know, for everyone to be as happy as he can.”

Philosopher, Blaise Pascal wrote:

“All men seek happiness without exception. They all aim at this goal however different the means they use to attain it… They will never make the smallest move but with this as its goal. This is the motive of all the actions of all men, even those who contemplate suicide.”

Now, how does Jesus’ urging for us to seek God’s Kingdom, expressed now in seeking Jesus, provide for us the means to be happy? How is it that orienting oneself to seek another – Jesus, will produce joy in our lives?

Hebrews 11:6 helps us to know that when we believe God (have “faith”) we will please God, and when we please God (not ourselves), we will receive “rewards” (rewards do please us). So, when we trust that living a God-centered life is THE way to live, God will reinforce that decision with rewards both here and now and in the future. Does this sound self-serving? Am I telling you to obey because God will pay you off? No. I am telling you that when you and I live with the Kingdom of God as our passion as expressed in living the character and priorities of Jesus; we will then be rewarded with joy. We will be rewarded with feeling purpose and meaning as we live now and make down payments for eternal joy.

The write of Psalm 16 believed this when he wrote,

“in whose presence is fullness of joy and in whose hands are pleasures forevermore”(v.11).

So, any resolve to change or live a new way will be rewarded by God and provide for us momentum to do more and be rewarded again.

Still not convinced? Question: What was the motivation Jesus had for enduring the cross? Was it so that the Father would receive glory? Yes. Was it for people to know that God will not wink at sin, but deal with it even if that means killing His Son to satisfy His justice? Absolutely. While these are true, there is also the idea of reward behind Jesus’ motivation to endure the cross.

“Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect. He suffered death on the cross. But He accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before Him.”

Jesus went to the cross to experience joy after the cross!

We arrange and orient our lives because we trust God, God will reward that trust, and we will push on to trust Him more because of receiving the reward of living with Kingdom values.

Question: How do we compare today with this type of thinking/living? In your opinion, are Christians living more in the world of “duty” or “delight?”