The reason you should be happy
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NIV) 하박국 3:17-19哈巴谷书
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
The scripture is a confession in the moment one has survived the worst catastrophe. The items mentioned in the scriptures were the livelihood of the Israelites. To not be able to reap the harvest from any of those items meant inevitable death. However, even in this situation, Habakkuk confesses “I will be joyful in God my Savior”.
If we say we have faith in God but it doesn’t show in our actions that just ends up being an empty faith. True faith naturally bears fruit in our lives. If we don’t see these bearing of fruit in our lives, it means that we are living a “luke-warm” life where we are at the mercy of fear of this world and its persecution. Actions by faith is not an easy thing to do.
Living a life of faith that is expressed in actions can only be done by the grace of God; one who has experienced the joy of salvation. To have this confidence and conviction allows you to not have to live a faithful life forcefully 1 th rather, naturally, exuding God’s grace in all aspects of our lives. Especially in today’s scripture, this type of person may not have the wealth in the eyes of the world, but they are overflowing with abundance in the spiritual things that they hold more valuable. So then I ask you, what is the reason YOU should be happy?
1. You should be happy because your sins have been forgiven.(Romans 6:23; 1Thes 5:16; Ephesians 1:17)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.(Romans 6:23)
“Be joyful always;(1thesalonica 5:16)
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
(Ephesians 1:17)
2.You should be happy because God will always be with you.
1) The ways in which God is with us.
“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.( Deuteronomy4:29)
“Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
(1 Chronicles 16:10)
“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure”.
12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.( Hebrews6:11,12)
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.(11:6,8)
“ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ( Jeremiah 29:13)
“ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.( Philippians 4:9)
“ Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt 28:18-20)
“ He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.(Matt 13:11)
“ "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"(Matt 19:20)
2) The good Lord has promised us that he will be with us (Zephaniah 3:17)
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."( Zephaniah 3:17)
3) You should be happy because God will allow you to gain eternal praise and fame.( Psalm 40:17)
“ In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head." (Psalm 40:17)
“And on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes.(Psalm 40:10)
“So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrew 13:6)
“ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.(Romans 8:28)
Application
1. If you, as a believer, don’t have joy, it will be very difficult to live a life that pleases God. The reason for this is that God is Joy.
2. God has saved us from sin and is now with us.
3. If you are able to obtain the pure joy that God gives, you will be able to live a fruitful life.
4. Worries, concerns, fears make our hearts weak and sometimes even cause us to lose our faith. However, true faith means that even in the most dire and difficult of situations, you don’t lose faith. No matter how difficult this world becomes, you need to remember God’s love that never changes. This is the way to be a true Christian.
5. I pray that we all can attain this joy and live a victorious life.
