James 4:4—You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
If our pursuit in life is to be happy, James wrote words that scorch our common bounds of decency. What’s so bad about liking the world? We want life to be a certain way; circumstances to align favorably; relationships to mature smoothly. We enter a dangerous time of year. Behind the surface clatter of commercialism is a much more subtle danger—the god of pleasure we call Happiness. Is God against our being happy? That would be ludicrous. He put us on earth to enjoy life—not to be miserable. The danger is when we replace our love for God with an infatuation for whatever the world calls pleasing. There is a happiness that comes with joy in Jesus regardless of circumstances and there is a happiness that demands self-satisfaction. The former renders peace the latter a haunted mien.
Avoid falling prey to the siren of Happiness whose sweet notes would tell you what you must have and do to be content. Instead, take cheer in knowing Jesus. Let your happiness be in knowing the Son whose love for You meant His hanging on dressed timber because a "happy" crowd delighted to be rid of His convicting message. "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
Inspiration
