Thursday 24 March 2011

Whatever makes you happy?

I had a chat with a man, Darren, a couple of days ago who was telling me that his friend had recently "got saved" (in his words).  I asked him what he thought about the step his friend had taken.  He said, "Well, whatever makes him happy."

I told him that I had no doubt salvation made his friend happy, just as it has made me happy, but happiness really isn't the point.  If your problem is sadness then there are any amount of things that might meet that need - a new job, a new car, a new home, a new puppy etc.  These things may lift the feeling of sadness and give a feeling of happiness, for a while anyway, but these things do nothing to deal with the problem of sin.  Just think of what Darren said about his friend - he got saved!  He was in danger and he got rescued from that danger.  It was not happiness he needed, it was deliverance from danger.  In the words of the Bible, "We must be saved" (Acts 4 v 12).

If you feel your problem is sadness then there are many people to whom you could go, but when you realise your problem is sin then there's only one person to whom you can turn - the one who died for sinners at Calvary and rose again.