Life should be devoted to pursuing pleasure in God, to fill us with joy in Him (Psalm 16:11). God wired us to seek joy and increase our pleasure. Unlike the stoics, we should not try to avoid happiness. 
 
We sin because sin is pleasurable. The way to eliminate sin is to replace it with something that gives us more pleasure. If we have more pleasure in God than in sin, we will not sin but rather shine in this world (Philippians 2:15).
 
If we focus on money, fame, sex, or earthly power in pursuing happiness, we are too easily satisfied. Consider the wonderful promises in the Bible. Since Christ offers us infinitely more joy, we should focus on pursuing Him.
 
It is important to glorify God. He created the universe, including us, to display His glory (Psalm 19:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:10). Can we glorify God while pursuing happiness? Daniel Fuller, CS Lewis (“The weight of glory”, “Reflection on the Psalms”), and Jonathan Edwards teach us that we can (1 Corinthians 10:31, Matthew 6:9).
 
God reveals Himself to our minds and our hearts. If we can rejoice in Him, He is glorified. If we prefer Him and want to be with Him over everything on earth, we honor Him.
 
Rejoicing also leads to praise, which expresses what we value. If we don’t enjoy and value the subject we praise, we are hypocrites. But we spontaneously praise what we enjoy. So, if we rejoice in God, we will praise Him.
 
Praising not only expresses but increases and completes our enjoyment. That’s why God commands us, and the psalmists taught us, to praise Him. 
 
In other words, our happiness in God glorifies Him. When we are satisfied in God, we praise Him, and He is glorified.
 
It is more blessed and joyful to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Loving others will draw them to us, and we can draw them to God. This will give them great joy and, in turn, will increase our happiness. Loving others is the natural overflow of our joy in God.
 
Summary of a sermon by John Piper:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cRkUt4glaE



上帝如何让我因祂而喜乐
 
人生应该致力于追求上帝里面的喜乐，使我们被这喜乐充满（诗篇 16:11)。
 
上帝创造我们成为寻求喜乐，增加喜乐的人，而不是像斯多葛学派一样不追求喜乐。
 
人犯罪是因为罪令人感到快乐，带来好的感觉。 除去罪恶的方法是用能带来更多快乐的东西代替它。 如果我们以上帝为乐多于以罪为乐，就不会犯罪，而是在这个世界上发光（腓立比书 2:15）。
 
如果在追求快乐中专注于金钱、 名誉、 性或世俗的权力，人就太容易满足了。 思想圣经中美好的应许。 既然基督带来无限的喜乐，我们就应该专注于追求祂。
 
荣耀上帝很重要。 祂创造了包括人类在内的宇宙，以彰显祂的荣耀（诗篇 19:1，帖撒罗尼迦后书 1:10）。 人能够在追求快乐的同时荣耀上帝吗？ Daniel Fuller、CS Lewis（“荣耀的重量”、“对诗篇的反思”）和 Jonathan Edwards教导我们是可能的（哥林多前书 10:31，马太福音 6:9）。
 
上帝在人的头脑和心灵中启示祂自己。如果我们以上帝为乐，祂就得到荣耀。 如果我们选择上帝, 想和祂一起超过世界上的一切万事，我们就荣耀祂。
 
喜乐也会带来赞美，而赞美表达一个人的价值观。如果不喜欢和不重视赞美的对象，那就是虚伪。  但人们会自然而然地赞美所享受的美好一切。因此，如果一个人以上帝为乐，就会赞美祂。
 
赞美不仅表达喜乐，更增加喜乐,  使喜乐圆满。 这就是为什么上帝命令我们赞美祂，诗篇作者教导我们赞美祂的原因。
 
换一种说法, 以神为乐就是荣耀祂。当我们以神为满足时，就赞美神，祂就得着荣耀。
 
施比受更有福、更使我们喜乐（使徒行传 20:35）。 用爱可以把人吸引到我们身边，而我们可以把他们吸引到上帝面前，带给他们极大的喜乐，转而也增加我们的喜乐。 爱人就是我们在上帝里面喜乐的自然流露。
 
​

​Typically, we go to God because we want things. That may be why Satan challenged God over Job: if God took away the lots of possessions He had given to Job, Job would curse God (Job 1:9-11). But after God allowed Satan to take from Job everything other than his wife (Job 1:12-13), Job still praised God because he knew he could not take anything with him when he died, and everything was in God’s hands (Job 1:21).
 
The Bible teaches us to rejoice in the Lord always—in health, sickness, wealth, or poverty (Philippians 4:4). For example, David glorified God in the desert of Judah and considered God’s love better than life (Psalm 63:3-5). When Habakkuk had nothing, not even food, he still was joyful in God and considered God his Savior (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
 
Why should we still be joyful in God when externally we are in desperate shape?
 
First, know that God is the Almighty and He loves us.
 
God is the Almighty who created the universe, and He loves us. He sent us His beloved Son so we may live. Christ suffered not to bring us wealth or fame; He suffered to bring us back to God.
 
Hence, we should focus on God, the Creator, not the things He created. All things we enjoy should point us to the Almighty. We should treasure and love God above everything.
 
If we love Him, we should do what He wants us to do (John 14:15), though we know the essence of loving is not in performing tasks.
 
If we love God, we should love our neighbors as fellow image-bearers of God. Paul described the Macedonian Christians as being very generous even when they were in severe trial and probably in poverty (2 Corinthians 8:1-2).
 
Treasuring God over all things means considering Him as the most desirable, giving us the most satisfaction.
 
When we are most satisfied in God, He is most glorified in us. Glorifying Him is the main reason of our existence (Isaiah 26:8, Philippians 1:20-21). Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you so that God is your ultimate delight and enjoyment.
 
Summarized from a sermon by John Piper:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkSAMTp5leQ


​
什么是以上帝为乐？
 
通常人们向上帝祈祷是因为想要索取。这可能就是为什么撒旦挑战上帝：如果上帝拿走赐给约伯的一切所有,约伯就会诅咒祂(约伯记1：9-11)。但当上帝允许撒旦攻击约伯,使他除了妻子一无所剩之后(约伯记1：12-13),约伯仍然赞美上帝，因为明白自己死去之时将无法带走任何东西，也知道一切都掌管在上帝手中(约伯记1:21）。
 
圣经教导信徒总要因神而欢喜，或健康或疾病，或富裕或贫穷，都当以神为乐(腓立比书4：4)。大卫即使在犹大旷野中也荣耀上帝，认为上帝的慈爱胜过生命(诗篇63：3-5)。先知哈巴谷一无所有，甚至食物都没有的时候，仍然以上帝为乐，认神为救主(哈巴谷书3：17-18)。
 
一个人身处绝望之境的时候，为什么仍然能以神为乐呢？
 
首先,应该知道上帝是全能的，而且祂爱我们。
 
创造宇宙的全能上帝爱我们，差派爱子来使我们得以存活。基督受苦不是为了给人带来财富或名望，而是为了将人带回到上帝面前。
 
因此，应该专注于上帝这位创造主,而不是任何的被造之物。人在地上的一切享受的都源于上帝的恩典，所以应该视上帝为珍贵，爱上帝超过万物以上。
 
如果爱上帝，就应该行祂所要我们行的,虽然知道爱的本质并非执行任务(约翰福音14:15)。
 
如果爱上帝，就应该爱邻舍，他们与我们同样是按上帝的形像被造。保罗形容马其顿基督徒在大试炼之季，很可能同时也在贫困之中，仍然慷慨乐捐(哥林多后书8：1-2)。
 
视上帝为至宝高于万物,就当以祂为心之最深渴慕和最大满足。
 
当上帝是信徒最大的满足时，祂就在我们里面得到最大的荣耀。荣耀上帝是人存在的主要原因(以赛亚书26：8;腓立比书1：20-21)。
 
祷告祈求圣灵帮助,使上帝成为你心中最大的喜乐和享受。

Life can be full of sorrow and pain. To survive, many become hardened and callous, but God replaces the heart of stone in His children with a heart of flesh, making them more vulnerable (Ezekiel 36:26), yet no one could take away their joy. How does that work? Let’s learn from John 16:16-22.
 
The source of joy in God’s children is the Gospel, the good news that gives us great joy. (Luke 2:8-12).
 
The Gospel depicts Christ breaking into a world of despair, initially devastated, but triumphing at the end. Through Him, we are accepted by God no matter what we have done and are given a clean conscience. This brings us great joy and boldness. This joy is permanent, as it rests in Christ and is independent of circumstances.
 
This joy also comes from obeying Christ. Through our obedience, God’s Spirit can operate in us in the most powerful way (John 15:10, 11). As an analogy, to play music well requires years of difficult scale practice but gradually becomes more enjoyable.
 
Don’t compromise with counterfeit joy by pursuing worldly things. Idols make us feel good initially but curse us later. For example, if career is our idol, as we move up, we feel good. But when we get stuck or go downhill, we feel pain because of the curse of the career idol.
 
The joy in God’s children comes from hope. The opposite of joy is not sorrow, but hopelessness. Losses on Earth cause grief, but God’s children grieve with a hope for something much better (Romans 5:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 4:13).
 
Look at Christ: He ran the painful race for the sake of the joy before Him (Hebrew 12:2). The cross comes before the crown. Such hope on eternal things enabled early Christians to sing praises while being mauled by lions. The privileges of being with God and enjoying Him outweigh any present temporary sorrow.
 
On Earth, the joy in God’s children co-exists with sorrow (1 Peter 1:6). It is similar to a woman after giving birth, where she is both in joy and pain.
 
Go to Christ. Pray to Him. Follow Him and hold onto that wonderful hope. Then nothing can take away your joy.
 
Summarized from a Tim Keller sermon:
https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/joy-8594/

​

痛苦中的喜乐
 
生活可能充满悲伤和痛苦。许多人为了生存变得冷酷。但上帝将祂儿女冷漠的铁石之心变成敏感的肉心。虽然这使他们变得容易受伤（以西结书 36：26），却没有人能夺走他们内心的喜乐。这又怎么可能呢？让我们从约翰福音16：16-22 中学习。
 
天父儿女的喜乐源於福音 - 福音本是大好的消息，带给我们极大的喜乐（路加福音2：8-12）。
 
福音书描绘基督如何闯入这个绝望的世界。祂虽然遭受逼迫和苦害，甚至完全被世人蹂躏，却最终战胜了一切。
 
我们无论做了什么都在基督里蒙上帝的接纳。信徒因上帝的恩典可以问心无愧，带给他们极大的喜乐和勇气。这在基督里的喜乐永远不改变，不受环境的影响。
 
这喜乐也来自顺服基督。上帝的灵因为人的顺服可以大而有能地在信徒心里运作（约翰福音15：10,11）。作为一个类比，拥有纯熟乐器的技巧需要多年艰辛的练习，但久而久之演奏音乐也逐渐变得越来越有乐趣。
 
不要透过追求世俗的事物而妥协在虚假的快乐上。世上的偶像最初让人感觉良好，但最后却是诅咒一场。例如, 如果事业是人的偶像，事业上升时他感到痛快；但事业陷入困境或走下坡路时，他就感到失落和痛苦，因为这个职业偶像在诅咒他.
 
上帝儿女的喜乐还来自美好的盼望。喜乐的反面不是悲伤而是绝望。在世上失去亲人或财物会带来悲伤和痛苦。上帝的儿女虽然伤痛，但因为将来更美之事会持守美好的盼望。（罗马书5：3-5; 帖撒罗尼迦前书 4：13）。
 
基督为那摆在前面的喜乐饱受痛苦，十字架是通往得胜冠冕的必经之路（希伯来书12：2）。
 
因为早期基督徒的盼望在永恒之事物上，他们在被狮子伤害吞噬之时也能歌颂赞美神。 对于与上帝同在并享受祂之特权的期待让他们超越了暂时的悲伤。
 
上帝的儿女在地上悲喜共存, 如同分娩后既快乐又痛苦的母亲（彼得前书 1：6） 。
 
让我们来到基督面前，向祂祷告， 跟随祂，抓住那美好的盼望！如此, 没有任何人事可以夺走走我们的喜乐。

Life is hard, as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol said, “What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry?” But, just before crucifixion, Christ told his disciples they would have His fullest joy (John 16:20-24, 17:13). Christ was about to be tortured and killed, and later the disciples too. Joy? What joy? Let’s learn from Romans 8:28-30.
 
All of us, to different degrees, will experience or have experienced danger, trouble, hardship, persecution, pain, nakedness, and famine (v35). Bad things happen. In the US, some people sue and assume the side with the truth will prevail. But in reality, all things fall short and are subject to decay, including family and relationships.
 
Anything good that happens to us is grace. Thank God for it. Just don’t be shocked by bad events.
 
Christ wept before the tomb of Lazarus. Sufferings and death may not be blessings in disguise. Christ hated death (John11:33, 38). The death of a child might spur the creation of new laws, but can such laws heal the wound?
 
God didn’t promise His children a comfortable life in this world. Christ didn’t suffer so we wouldn’t suffer; rather, he promised we would. We don’t follow Christ because it is comforting, encouraging or exciting. We follow Him because He is the truth.
 
However, God did promise to accept us as we are. Through Christ, we look good in His eyes (v30). God did promise we would be more like Christ, a person of courage, truth and love (v29).
 
Christ said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). One day, He would make us new, with no more death.
 
Further, God did promise to glorify His children (v30). This glorification is in past tense, implying a certainty. Christ suffered for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). Paul suffered but knew that the glory to come eclipsed his sufferings and pain (Romans 8:18).
 
We would suffer. But all things are for the good of those who love God (v28). Bad things will be used for good, though we may not see it during our lifetime on Earth.
 
Always remember that God has accepted us so that we can be more like Christ: renewed and glorified by Him! So, be joyful!
 
Summarized from a Tim Keller sermon, “A Christian’s Happiness.”
https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/a-christian-s-happiness-6502/



人生在世快乐还是痛苦？
 
​生活并非一帆风顺，乃是充满很多的艰难，正如守财奴（Scrooge）在“圣诞颂歌（A Christmas Carol）” 故事所说，“你有什么权利喜悦？你有什么原因喜悦？”然而基督在被钉十字架之前，告诉门徒将得到满足的喜乐（约翰福音16：20-24, 17：13）。那时基督即将饱受折磨，甚至舍命十架，后来门徒也将受到同一厄運。喜悦？什么喜悦？让我们从罗马书8：28-30中学习。
 
所有人在不同程度上都曾经历过或将要遭遇危险、患难、困苦、迫害、痛苦、 赤身露体和饥寒交迫（罗马书8：35）。坏事总会发生。 有人以为真理的一方在法庭的诉讼中定然会取胜。 但实际上法律并非总是公平的。万事都有亏缺衰败，包括家庭和其他人际关系。
 
任何发生的好事都是上帝的恩典，人当为此感谢上帝。只是坏事发生的时候不要震惊。
 
基督在拉撒路的坟墓前哭泣。苦难和死亡不一定是乔装的祝福。基督也恨恶死亡（约翰福音11：33, 38）。即使一个孩子的死亡可以促成新的法律的产生，这又怎样呢？这些法律可以医治伤痛吗？
 
上帝并没有应许祂的儿女在世上享受安逸的生活。基督受苦亦不是为了使信徒在世免受苦难。相反地，祂应许我们会受苦。我们跟随基督不是为了得到安慰，鼓励或振奋。我们跟随基督是因为祂是真理。
 
然而，上帝确实应许照本相接纳我们。祂透过基督看我们为美好（罗马书8：30）。
 
上帝也确实应许我们将更像基督一样，做个有勇气、真理和仁爱的人（罗马书8：29）。
 
基督宣告“复活在我，生命也在我”（ 约翰福音11:25）。那一天祂要更新我们，将不再有死亡。
 
不仅如此，神还应许荣耀祂的儿女（罗马书8:30）。这里过去式的时态意味着应许的肯定。
 
基督因为那摆在前面的喜乐忍受苦难（希伯来书12：2）。保罗也曾饱受痛苦，但是知道将来的荣耀远高过现今的苦楚（罗马书8：18）。
 
总而言之，每个人都会受苦。然而上帝让万事互相效力，让爱神的人得益处（罗马书8：28）。再糟糕的事情上帝也可以利用来赐福，虽然我们在世的日子可能看不到这天。
 
常常牢记这真理：上帝已经接纳我们，使我们活得更像基督, 被祂更新，因着祂而得荣耀。所以，让我们喜乐起来吧！