Psalm 73:25-26 (ESV)

Here are the things we’ve considered so far:

• We need to think hard about God, because the more we know God the more we will love and serve Him.
• God is passionate about His glory.
• God wants for us to be passionate about His glory. (God is serious about our happiness.)

When we understand that God is serious about our happiness, it only makes sense that we could say to God,

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:25-26 ESV)

After all, He can make us happier than any other person, thing, or activity ever could. BUT the truth is…

We go after so many other things that we think will make us happy. Why do we do that? I don’t think there’s one easy answer. Basically, we’re affected by sin – to the point that we are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and there is nothing in us that wants anything to do with God (Romans 3:10-11). If we’re spiritually dead and don’t want anything to do with God, why would we want to look for our happiness in Him? This is when things start to get amazing…

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10 ESV)

Do we understand that God is so serious about His people being happy and satisfied in Him? Do we see why it’s amazing and good for us to think hard about God?

Think Harder

• Read Ephesians 2:1-10 carefully several times.
• Based on these verses, what are we like without God?
• Based on these verses, how does God deal with His people? What has God done for His people?
• How should the truths in these verses affect the way we think about our relationship with Jesus? Should we be completely satisfied in Him and treasure Him more than anything else?