Monsignor Pope Ping!
Aw man, I thought this was going to be about Beer!
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
1 Thessalonians 5:16
Rejoice always,
Psalm 118:24
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
John 16:24
Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Isaiah 55:12
“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Psalm 126:5
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!
Psalm 71:23
My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.
Psalm 33:21
For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Colossians 1:11
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
Psalm 100:1
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 30:11
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
Luke 1:47
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Psalm 70:4
May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
1 Peter 1:8-9
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Isaiah 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Psalm 100:2
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
[[Most of us are well aware that happiness tomorrow is often contingent upon making certain sacrifices today. ]]
No it isn’t- You can be happy WHILE working towards your goal of a vacation- You can be thankful that God has allowed you to be healthy enough to work, given you the ability to provide for your needs while you work, etc- The ‘happiness’ is not the vacation- The happiness is being God’s child and relying on Him for everything- the ability to work (IF that is the pan of God for a person), the ability to keep yourself fed, the ability to save for the vacation etc-
Even those who can’t work can be happy and it isn’t contingent on just the ‘good things’ in our lives that bring pleasure- The bedridden can be happy in God-
There are many verses that show God wants US personally to be happy- despite our circumstances- of even because of our circumstances- but there are also verses that show that some folks are in misery, and God says He even created the vine to ‘cheer the hearts of man’ and He also says Proverbs 31:6-7 - Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. So that they may forget their troubles for a bit- Clearly showing that yes, God DOES want individuals to be happy, even in depressing situations such as crippling poverty-
There is nothing wrong with knowing that God wants US to be happy- He commands it and even provides the vine to help- this is NOT of course license to become a raging drunk- controlled by alcohol, because that leads to more misery- but to say that God doesn’t want US to be happy personally, individually, is just not correct- and places a guilt trip on people in an unbiblical manner-
God ALLOWS some people to be rich and enjoy their many earthly blessings, but He also allows some to be poor- disabled etc- and wants them to be happy as well- despite their circumstances-
Vacations, money etc are not the catalyst to happiness- as shown in my paragraphs above about being thankful and happy one is able to work towards vacations IF they are physically capable of doing so- IF not, then being happy in the Lord despite the circumstances- God loves a joyful happy heart-
Yes, but what you call “happy” isn’t. If you mean that happy is having all your silly-a$$ things and ephemeral pleasures, then the answer is NO.
Well, yes - but . . .
Claims, for example, for reparations are claims that blacks are victims, and that they deserve to be made happy. But if your self-worth depends on being a victim, you cannot allow yourself to be happy. And your unhappiness makes you dangerous; no one can think that a suicide bomber is happy. Or that a happy person can be a suicide bomber.Dennis Prager makes the point that “Happiness is a moral virtue.” And that feeling follows action - you will feel happy if you act happy, even if acting happy is the last thing you feel like doing at the time.
His book on the subject is
- Happiness Is a Serious Problem:
- A Human Nature Repair Manual
The five-minute Cliff Notes version is found at Prager University.
If you have time for the 52 minute version, I recommend it in preference.
Excellent piece!
This attitude has done more damage to the world than pretty much anything else I can think of. Particularly since the 1960’s.
They didn't like that answer but could not come up with good argument against it.
What makes me happy? A free donut. A beautiful sunrise. And remembering that Hillary Clinton will neevvvvverrrr be President. That always makes me smile!
““God wants me to be happy” is not a legitimate moral principle.”
It’s also a poor life. Happiness is fleeting. It comes and goes as times change. Rather than seek a happy life, we should seek lives of meaning. That is far more lasting.
I personally hate this “feel good theology”....
God does not promise you riches or happiness... Jesus didn’t promise you an easy life....
Folks who pitch this crap are blasphemers and cranks.
God wants us to be holy.
Thanks for posting. It’s because of Free Republic that I first heard of Msgr. Pope. Have been following his blog for more than a few years. Part of my morning routine.
What I think will make me happy and what God knows will make me happy are frequently quite different things!