Did you know that the Bible is all about blessing?  The very beginning of Scripture begins with God’s desire to create a world where mankind would be blessed with true happiness. In this sense, Adam and Eve experienced God’s will for their lives.  

Tragically, Adam and Eve rejected God and the world created for them. They chose instead to pursue happiness without God. I say it is tragic because they traded paradise and true happiness for a world of their making.  Our world is broken because we broke it; the things that provide a modicum of happiness are only for a season. Thus, we spend our whole lives looking for people, places, and things to provide what we had in abundance in the beginning.

John Locke, the English philosopher, acknowledges our fallen state. He defines man’s noble purpose as the “pursuit of happiness.” He argues that true liberty allows for each person to individually and collectively be unincumbered in their pursuit of happiness.  We find his influence written in the United States Declaration of Independence. We were founded as a nation of happiness seekers.  

Ironically, all of our endeavors to obtain soul-satisfying happiness miss the mark. The iconic band U2, states it this way:  “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”  The truth is soul-satisfying happiness is beyond our reach no matter what “mountains we have climbed” or experiences we have sought after. Only the Creator can restore what we are looking for.

Fortunately for us, He is a restoring God. We discover from Scripture that He loves us and is for us.  So much so, that He entered into our world as a restorer.  Jesus came to restore all of creation to its previous glory.  First, Jesus would make a way for everyone to be restored and end our yearning. Jesus declared He had water that would not only satisfy our “thirst,” but this water would also completely satisfy; we would never be “thirsty” again. In John 4:14 He says, “…whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” For over 2,000 years those who come to Jesus for “this water” have found His words to be true. Indeed, the purpose of Daily TLC is to bring the “thirsty” to Jesus so they too can find blessed relief – true fulfillment and the abundance of blessing God has for them.

Jesus invites us to come to Him for this living water. He speaks to the weary seeker who has lost hope for true happiness. His words are full of hope as He tells them that He is the way to happiness and that all who come to Him find His teachings relevant and applicable to what they need right now because he is gentle and humble – meaning he is all about helping us!  He promises rest from the empty pursuits as we look to Him for the fulfullment of the abundant life (happy), filled with peace and joy.  

With a promise like this, I guess it is not unexpected that the core of Jesus’ teaching is to unpack for us the principles and attitudes that restore blessing to our lives. Over the next several weeks we will explore who Jesus is and the happiness He offers to those who put their trust in Him. If you want to discover how to be happy for the rest of your life, check out next week’s blog.  

For me, I can attest that His promise is true. I am so glad someone brought me to Jesus and explained to me how much He loves me and is for me. My life as a follower of Jesus has been filled with blessings! If you are a seeker like I was and want to know more, then please contact me at jim@tlcassembly.org.  I’ll help in any way I can!

Helpful Resources

John Locke, Two Treatise of Government, Awnsham Churchill, 1689.

Greg Laurie, New Believer’s Guide to Effective Christian Living, Tyndale, 2002.

Bryan Koch & Daniel McNaughton, Follow: Learning to Follow Jesus, Morning Joy Media, 2011.