Category Archives: God

Friday Joy: “Our Happy God!”

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I’m tweaking “Friday Fun” posting to “Friday Joy” as the following so warmed my heart, i wanted to share it with you… Simple and insightful I think…

OUR HAPPY GOD
By Dr David Murray, from Head Heart Hand
What makes God so happy? Three times we are told that our God is “blessed forever” (Rom. 1:25; 9:5; 2 Cor. 11:31). But what makes Him so happy? Well, I’m sure there are many contributing factors. For example, being perfectly holy must be a great source of happiness. The absence of uncertainty, through knowing the end from the beginning, must also engender huge happiness.

But maybe we can also learn about divine happiness from human happiness. I’ve just been reading Where does happiness come? in which Oscar del Ben reflects on this question, and gives four possible answers. I couldn’t help but think of how his “human” answers may give theological insight into some sources of God’s happiness.

1. Giving “stuff” away. As the giver of every good and perfect gift, God is always extraordinarily and immeasurably happy. But what all-surpassing happiness accompanied His greatest gift, the gift of His only Son for sinners.

2. Creating something. What happy days for God, when He was creating the universe! What satisfaction as He spoke the universe into existence. Each day His happiness was expressed as He saw everything so good. Then came the apex, the climax, when He made humanity: “All very good!”

3. Connecting people. While the devil is the great divider and separator of humanity, God is the great “connector.” By His plan of grace, He is connecting people with Himself and with one another. By the Gospel of Christ, He smashes barriers and tears down walls (Eph. 2:14-17). By the Gospel, He creates unity and community.

4. Doing something new. Ultimately, God is behind every discovery, every advance, every invention. He is the source of all newness, all imagination, and all innovation. With every soul saved, He makes all things new (2 Cor.5:17). By His Holy Spirit, He is renewing His people day by day (Eph. 4:24). Finally, He will make all things new (Rev. 21:5). What an exuberantly happy day that will be, both for God and His people!

No wonder Paul calls his message “the glorious Gospel of the happy (blessed) God” (1 Tim. 1:11).

(AMEN! pdb)

God is in your problem…

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St. Paul regularly had “problems” to say the least! Yet, God was in all of them — and God is in your problems as well. Take a look at his opening words in his letter to the Philippians — which was written while Paul was imprisoned in the “praetorium” of Herod the Great in Caesarea (see Acts 23:35) around 60 AD.

(1:7) … for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

(1:12) I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

As Paul writes we ought to see these truths and take encouragement that:
• God is in the midst of the problem
• God is up to something in your problem
• God is up to something good

Read on to see more of God’s purposeful presence…
• God makes prayer more precious and powerful in the midst of trouble (see Phil. 1:4-11)
• God makes you an encouragement to other believers (see Phil. 1:14)
• God brings comfort and joy to those who seek Him even in the time of trouble (see Paul ‘rejoice’ at Phil. 1:4, 18 — and throughout this letter)

When troubles come, rather than raise the old question (“why me?”), remind yourself that God is right there with you — and aims to use it for your good and His glory.
-pdb