Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Thursday, July 12, 2018

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.The Second Sentence from the Declaration of Independence

We think it is obvious that nobody is better than anybody else and that God created us to have a good life, to be free, and to be happy.paraphrase by Patience Fort

The Declaration of Independence says that we have a right to live.
My paraphrase says God wants us to have a good life. 

At the risk of getting political, I have some scenarios regarding life -- or a good life -- that we should consider.

1. In China, a female child is born who's only flaw is that she isn't a boy. Her parents ask the midwife to dispose of her. She might be left somewhere to perish or she might end up at an orphanage. Does she deserve to live?
   
2. A man serving a life sentence in prison slowly loses his vision. Does he deserve to have his cataracts removed?
   
3. A man who came to the United States illegally many years ago never had any healthcare and didn't address his health issues. Does he deserve to get dialysis for his kidney failure?
   
4. A young woman comes to the realization that she has sinned. She confesses this to the Lord and asks for His forgiveness. Does she deserve to have eternal life in heaven with Him? 

I can't necessarily answer the first 3 questions. But I can say without a doubt that the young woman in the fourth question does NOT deserve to have eternal life. Nobody does. It is only by the grace of God that we are granted this very amazing gift. 

But not only does God want us to be with Him in heaven after our lives here have ended, He also wants us to have abundant life while we are here. John 10:10 says that Jesus came, "that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." So what is abundant life?

If we have a personal relationship with the Lord and we trust Him wholeheartedly, He will provide us with His fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God does not promise that we will be healthy or wealthy or that our days will be stress-free. But He does promise to provide us with everything that we need. And His presence in our lives makes it all bearable.

So, yes. I think that God created us to have a good life -- an abundant life which is only found in His Son, Christ Jesus.

Stay tuned for more on this topic tomorrow . . . .