The Pursuit of Happiness

Some people think that if they are Christians, they will miss out on the joys, and happiness and pleasures that they might have had if they were not Christians. They are tempted to think they cannot be as happy as Christians as they could be if they were not. They think that to love God, to obey his commands, to pray, to worship, to pursue godliness and to live as Christians, is gloomy business.

But God tells us that none can be truly happy and really joyful but the one who loves him. And every one who has repented of sin, trusted in Christ and who loves the Savior, knows that there is more happiness in this new life than in any other.

A person may indeed be happy a little while without fellowship with God. But misfortunes and sorrows will come. Your hopes of pleasure will be disappointed. You will be called to weep; to suffer pain; to die. And there is no one but God, and nothing but knowing Him through the risen Savior, Jesus Christ, which can console you in trials, give you a deep and lasting and true happiness, and a peace in the hour of death.

It is that you may be happy, not unhappy, that God wishes you to be a Christian. In fact, God wants us to be supremely happy in him, joyful in him, delighted and delighting in him. The Gospel call is to the greatest happiness - everlasting, grace-enabled enjoyment of God. No other happiness approaches it. After all, it was Jesus who said to his disciples: "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11).

(the above is my take on this John Abbot quote below)

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"Some children appear to think that if they are Christians, they cannot be so happy as they may be if they are not Christians. They think that to love God, and to pray, and to do their duty, is gloomy work. But God tells us that none can be happy but those who love him. And every one who has repented of sin, and loves the Savior, says that there is more happiness in this mode of life than in any other. We may indeed be happy a little while without piety. But misfortunes and sorrows will come. Your hopes of pleasure will be disappointed. You will be called to weep; to suffer pain; to die. And there is nothing but religion which can give you a happy life and a peaceful death. It is that you may be happy, not unhappy, that God wishes you to be a Christian." (John S. C. Abbott, The Child at Home: The Principles of Filial Duty)

(HT: Justin Taylor, for helping me track down the author and source of the Abbott quote)