Before doing this study, please read the 1-minute introduction: Should Happiness Be Our Goal?
Holiness isn't a popular subject for most Christians because it means dealing deliberately and honestly with our sins and studying Scripture to find out what pleases the Lord. But holiness is God's primary goal for His people. He also offers us happiness, but not as it's defined by the world. Our happiness has an eternal focus and it comes as we rejoice and find meaning and fulfillment in His purposes, not our own.
1. For the Christian, true joy and contentment are not based on circumstances.
Philippians 4:12-13: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
1. For the Christian, true joy and contentment are not based on circumstances.
Philippians 4:12-13: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
Paul, who wrote this passage, certainly experienced hardship in his walk with the Lord. God could have made things easier for Paul, but God's purpose was not to make Paul comfortable. His purpose was to make Paul holy. We see this truth in the lives of many Bible heroes and heroines such as Joseph, Jeremiah, and Ruth.
1 Peter 1:3-9: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
1 Peter 1:3-9: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Christ has done all that needs to be done—he defeated sin and Satan and offers us eternal life. But our present life here on earth will still bring us troubles. And one purpose of those sufferings is to test and prove our faith. If becoming a Christian made life easy and happy, people would become Christians simply for that benefit, not out of love for Christ.
2. I encourage you to choose one of the verses below to memorize or read daily this week.
Hebrews 12:14: "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."
1 Peter 1:15: "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do."
2 Timothy 1:9: "He has saved us and called us to a holy life."
2 Peter 3:10-11: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives."
It's natural to make happiness our goal. It's unnatural to make holiness our goal. That's why we need Someone supernatural to give us His strength and power – Philippians 4:13.
Copyright 2013, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, edited and updated in 2022
Hebrews 12:14: "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."
1 Peter 1:15: "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do."
2 Timothy 1:9: "He has saved us and called us to a holy life."
2 Peter 3:10-11: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives."
It's natural to make happiness our goal. It's unnatural to make holiness our goal. That's why we need Someone supernatural to give us His strength and power – Philippians 4:13.
Copyright 2013, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, edited and updated in 2022
Bite Size Bible Study
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