How happy are you? I do not believe that I can think of another question that is based more in the relevancy of a person’s current situation, it is an emotion that is never constant, and generally always unexpected. I think that many people confuse happiness with contentment, an emotion, most generally based in the security and continuance of what they would call a normal day, week, or even life, happiness is what the world searches after, and it is a never-ending pursuit.
In the world’s mindset, happiness cannot come without freedom, and the plan of Satan in our current day is to ensure that everyone gets everything they want so that they will be happy, just not in the way that they can foresee, yet. With the new vaccination documentation you can once again ensure your freedoms, within limits of course, and thereby be “happy” again, without that documentation, you will be ostracized, shut out, unhappy. Boys can be girls, girls can be boys, one race or ethnicity is no better than the other, but reparations are due those who had their descendants happiness irresponsibly revoked years ago, the list goes on, and many are being deceived that when all is said and done, we will all be happy. “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2 Tim. 3:13)
I would set a task before you, one you may accept or decline of course as you please, but if you do accept it, I believe that wisdom and knowledge will come your way. The next few weeks, every person that you know who says that they are a Christian, ask them this question, “Are you happy being a slave?” I believe that you will be quite surprised at some of the answers you will receive. As far as I know, every place in the New Testament when the Scriptures use the word “servant” it can quite easily be transposed as the word “slave,” and is in reality the correct wording, but people do not like that word, for it infers, well, a complete and total lack of freedom. Servant sounds better, it sounds as if we have a choice, we had a choice to come to Christ, which does not fit well with “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:14) Chosen does not allow for free will, the word slave does not go well with “crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20) or “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Eph. 2:8) or any other verse in the Scriptures that give any man an option. But servant sounds better, it sounds, or implies, that we have a choice, that in a sense, if we don’t want to serve, we don’t have to, it gives us an option.
Slaves don’t get options, slaves that do not obey are unprofitable, they are punished, chastised (Rev. 3:19) and a true slave is one for life, they are never released. In the context of this letter the doctrine of election is not the issue, the statement is this, since we are slaves, are we happy.
If you have been saved and profitable for any length of time, then you are well aware that happiness and joy, the joy of the Lord, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” (John 15:11) do not even exist on the same planet, happiness is contingent upon circumstances, the joy of the Lord is assurance, the continuing and never modified knowledge that His promises are true, that He will never leave us or forsake us, ever. (Deut. 31:8) People who have happiness do not necessarily have this joy, those who have been blessed with the joy of the Lord never experience a loss of happiness.
Do circumstances modify that happiness for a short period of time? Of course, but not for long, never for long, because the joy we have in Christ never leaves us, no matter the circumstances. The peace that He has given us, (John 14:27) the eternal hope we have been blessed with, (Titus 1:2) assures us daily, and that assurance is called our joy, and that makes us happy.