“When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” Hosea 1:2
“God just wants me to be happy; therefore I am going to do ________________.”
Murder…Divorce…Adultery…
Homosexuality… Fornication… Theft…
Overeating… Laziness… Disrespect…
I have heard these actions used to end this sentence. This one sentence may just be the most frequently used justification for sin in our generation.
We accept a lie from the bowels of hell when we believe that our earthly happiness trumps the commandments of God.
God’s greatest priority is not our earthly happiness. His sovereign plan is not contingent upon my personal feelings of joy and satisfaction in the circumstances that I find myself. In fact, God does not want you or I to be happy in our sin. He wants us miserable in our sin. He wants to kill the sin of our flesh.
God did not tell Hosea to marry a wife of whoredom because He knew that would make Hosea happy. God had a purpose for Hosea that was beyond his happiness. God was going to allow Hosea to be deeply hurt to show how the actions of Israel were hurting Him. God was calling Hosea to unhappiness so that the beauty of repentance and the renewal of a loving relationship with the Lord would be shown to God’s people.
True happiness is found only in the love of God.
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If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:10-11)
We experience the love of God, when we abide in His love. We abide in His love, when we keep His commandments. That is when our joy will be full. It is by our obedience that we can remain joyful in unhappy circumstances. Our joy is not dictated by circumstances. Joy is a gift of God to all those who abide in His love.
The escape from unhappiness lies in the loving embrace of God, experienced through our obedience.
God does want me to be happy – in His love.“God just wants me to be happy;
therefore I am going to be obedient to his commandments through all my unhappy circumstances.”
PRAYER: O Lord, you know all the justifications that I have used for my sin. Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you for leading me to repentance and returning me to your love. Help me to abide in You. Help me to desire your love more than my happiness. Help me to endure sadness and disappointment through the hope that you have given me. Help me to be joyful even if you are taking me through unhappiness. I pray this in the precious name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
A DEVOTED LIFE 