Would you like to unlock the secrets to a life of purpose and fulfillment? By delving into the transformative power of daily Bible reading, each word on the pages of Scripture holds the potential to ignite a spark of joy and lead to a deeper understanding of God's love.
How to Find Biblical Happiness
Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, and Holocaust survivor who endured immense suffering during his time in Nazi concentration camps, including the loss of his family and the daily struggle for survival. Despite the horrors he experienced, Frankl observed that some prisoners were able to maintain a sense of inner freedom and resilience through suffering. He realized that while individuals cannot always control their circumstances, they can choose their attitude and response to those circumstances.
Frankl's story powerfully reminds us that true happiness depends not on external circumstances but on our inner attitude and outlook. Even in the darkest times, God’s Holy Word is the foundation that anchors us in the truth that engages life and eternity.
Spending time in the Scriptures nurtures a profound relationship with the Almighty. It unveils a new life filled with purpose and meaning. This newfound perspective fosters a willingness to devote time to commune with Him, igniting a desire to fulfill His will. As our understanding of God's love deepens, we willingly surrender to His Lordship and guidance. Guided by the Holy Spirit, transformation begins as we embrace the living Word. Happiness is discovered in knowing the Author, its content, and the transformation that happens.
I’m unsure why it is so challenging to devote daily time to reading the Bible. From personal experience, I understand how busyness often drowns out the importance of establishing a daily time in God’s Word. Additionally, digital distractions, particularly the dominance of social media, can easily consume our attention and leisure time. Some may also find the stories in the Old Testament tedious or difficult to grasp. However, we cannot attribute our reluctance to a lack of availability. More than ever, the Bible is easily accessible through online platforms, smartphone apps, or the family Bible. Despite the various reasons for letting a Bible collect dust, we wobble about spiritually, fixating on many other options in the day while neglecting the “pearl of great price.”
The State of the Bible 2021 Report by George Barna says only one in six U.S. adults read the Bible most days, although a little more than fifty percent say the Bible contains everything needed to live a meaningful life. This sobering statistic resonates with the words of C.S. Lewis: We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
Let’s not approach Bible reading half-heartedly. Instead of “making mud pies,” let’s be captivated by interest and curiosity. Just as Moses was drawn closer by the sight of a burning bush that wouldn’t consume, the conflicting forces of awe and trepidation compelled him. Unable to resist, and with that spark of interest, a transformation was ignited that affected not only him but also an entire nation, and it continues to this day. Similarly, cultivating a daily interest in the heavenly connections through Scripture kindles a genuine relationship with its Author that ushers in a new life.
Knowing Our Author
There is no substitute for the joy of getting to know God! His divine biography is intricately woven through every page of Scripture. With each reading, though wrestling between the flesh and spirit, the new creation unfolds, replacing guilt, shame, and confusion with God's exceptional gifts of grace, forgiveness, and peace that surpass human understanding.
The more time we invest in reading His love letter, the deeper our love for Him grows as The Author crafts His story in us. It's like planting tiny seedlings in our souls that gradually blossom into a beautiful garden of joy and happiness.
The first time I read the Bible from cover to cover, it was an eye-opening experience. It revealed the delicate balance of God’s love and justice—something much of the world would prefer to overlook. As the Author’s timeless truths penetrate a heart, our behavior and actions are drawn like magnets toward alignment with what He has intended.
The treasure of knowing the Author changes everything! Jeremiah says, “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD” (9:23-24).
Understanding the Bible
True happiness is found in knowing the Scripture’s life-changing content.
People clamor for written material that can enhance cognitive abilities such as critical thinking, problem-solving, analytic reasoning, or personal improvement. That hunger for knowledge is apparent through the many good books on the market. Dale Carnegie’s 1936 book, How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies, with over 50 million copies published in more than 38 languages. Steve Cowen’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has sold twenty-five million copies in forty languages. The Purpose Driven Life, 1989, by Rick Warren, is at 50 million copies in 85 languages. These self-help books are significant and vital, yet they pale in comparison to the unrivaled Book of all time, the Holy Scriptures. This Best-Seller is the foundation, the all-sufficient rule of faith and conduct, for a life of joy that leads to eternal rewards.
The treasure of growing in God’s life-changing Word doesn’t merely impact; it remodels, remakes, overhauls, improves, renews, rejuvenates, and transforms a life. It pierces the heart to the depth of our being, calling us to exceed our own expectations. Our faults and failures find redemption through the power of God’s forgiveness when we ask. And though we remember our sins, God doesn’t. He reminds us, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions” (Psalm 103:12).
The benefit of developing habits, as James Clear, writer of Atomic Habits, says, “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
Time in the Word builds a deeper love for the Author. Your relationship with Jesus takes on a new level of trust. The presence of the Holy Spirit becomes more accessible to recognize. And His commands become easier to obey.
In the song, Holy Water, our frailty in obedience is lessened by God’s overflowing grace: I don’t wanna abuse Your grace. God, I need it every day. It’s the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change. Like a gushing stream, God’s grace flows forth from each page, transforming behavior and nurturing the righteous life God has chosen for His own.
Nothing catalyzes that change more than daily immersion in the Bible, the 'lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path' (Psalm 119:105). As James Clear aptly puts it, 'Habits are the path to changing who you are.”
Experiencing a Transformed Life
The way to be truly happy is to be truly human, and the way to be truly human is to be truly godly. –J.I. Packer
Augustine, born in 354 AD in North Africa, led a life of intellectual curiosity, spiritual searching, and moral struggles. In his early thirties, deeply troubled and spiritually restless, he encountered a copy of the Bible in a garden in Milan. As he opened its pages, he came across a passage in Romans 13:13-14, which spoke directly to his heart:
“Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, sexual immorality and debauchery, dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Augustine was converted. He realized the emptiness of his previous pursuits and turned his life entirely to God. Augustine became one of the most influential theologians and thinkers in the early Christian Church.
Happiness is discovered in knowing the Author, understanding its content, and embracing the life-changing transformation. Genuine happiness eludes those who seek it through fame, success, pleasures, and other fleeting pursuits, leaving behind only feelings of emptiness and unfulfillment In contrast, growing in the knowledge of the Author, discovering the depth of His love letters, and experiencing a transformed life offers penetrating joys, deep soul satisfaction, and eternal glory.
How does one find Biblical happiness? For the one who gains knowledge of God through His eternal Word, abundant transformed life awaits --- a championship, payoff, trophy, crown, and an eternal reward: joy forevermore. George Muller's words are valid, “God is the author of the Bible, and only the truth it contains will lead people to true happiness.”
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Rowan Jordan
