God wants us to be happy. Without a shadow of a doubt, our happiness is of high priority to Jesus Christ. It might not be His only agenda (as God also desires holiness, contentment, generosity, purposefulness and so many other good things), but we can say with honest confidence that God is concerned with our happiness because Jesus is happiness and joy in the flesh.
Psalm 16:11 tells us, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." God wants us to be happy, but that does not necessarily mean that He wants our lives to be about the pursuit of happiness because sometimes the pursuit of happiness can lead us on a road that takes us away from Christ instead of to Him.
Here are three ways that the pursuit of happiness can actually lead us away from God.
When the source of happiness is anything apart from the Holy Spirit
Romans 14:17 says, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." In the Holy Spirit alone do we find lasting joy that promises happiness when we exist in the fullness of Christ. When we place our happiness on anything else apart from Christ, we place our happiness on a poor foundation.
Sure there may be times of sadness, but there can and will be happiness as we walk in the Spirit and it never leads us away from Jesus Christ.
When it becomes too much about us
Our happiness is important, but not more important than God's honour and glory. In fact, one of the main reasons why God wants us to be happy is so that He will be glorified through our happiness. It's never truly and solely about our happiness, but also about the happiness of God and the happiness of people around you.
When we pursue things of this world instead of things of God
Matthew 6:20 says, "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." When we put our happiness on things of this earth, we can often be disappointed because nothing in this world is permanent. Sure you may have your dream job, all the money in the world or even certain relationships, but all of these will come to an end.
Only God is infinite and never-changing and we can put our full confidence and happiness upon Jesus Christ and His ways.
