Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 120

00:00:00.000 Hey guys, happy Monday. Welcome to Relatable. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Thank you for

00:00:05.980 starting your week with me. Today we are going to talk about happiness and joy, happiness versus

00:00:14.320 joy. Now, if you grew up in a Christian home, if you grew up going to Sunday school, if you went to

00:00:21.600 a Christian school, then you have probably heard people talk about the difference between happiness

00:00:27.520 and joy. Or even if you've just been a Christian for a little bit, you've heard people talk about

00:00:32.420 the difference between happiness and joy. This is something that we're pretty well versed in.

00:00:36.620 I remember probably it was middle school that I heard people say, oh, you know, there's a difference

00:00:42.160 in happiness and a difference in joy. We hear that happiness is more of a superficial desire,

00:00:50.540 that happiness is really something that's more of the flesh, not necessarily sinful, but something

00:00:55.600 that is fleeting, something that is circumstantial. And then we hear on the other side of that, that

00:01:01.480 joy is something that outlasts our circumstances. Joy is something that is steady. Joy is something

00:01:08.100 that comes from Christ. Therefore, we should pursue and latch on to joy rather than happiness.

00:01:15.740 My question is, is there really a difference between happiness and joy? According to God's word,

00:01:22.300 are we correctly defining what happiness is according to what God says happiness is? Is this a distinction

00:01:30.880 that we are making based on the world's definition of happiness and joy? Or is this a distinction that

00:01:36.860 we're making based on the Bible's definition of happy and joy? And honestly, I've heard both. I had a

00:01:42.960 Bible teacher in high school tell me, you know, a lot of people will tell you there's a difference

00:01:46.720 between happiness and joy. There's not a difference between happiness and joy. It's just, you know,

00:01:51.260 a difference in semantics. It's just kind of superficial differences in distinctions. And then

00:01:56.580 of course you have people who, like I said, said, no, there's a difference. Joy is something that is

00:02:02.120 really unconditional. It comes from Christ. Happiness is something that is fleeting. Happiness is okay,

00:02:07.260 but it's not something that you should necessarily pursue. But I really wanted to know the answer for

00:02:14.200 this from a biblical perspective, I think from a cultural perspective, and I'll get into this in a

00:02:18.500 little bit. That's probably true. But from a biblical perspective, I wanted to know, is there really a

00:02:23.580 difference between happiness and joy? Because happiness, as we know from a secular perspective,

00:02:28.360 is something that you hear people saying that they want. They want to obtain this sense of security,

00:02:34.080 of fulfillment, of satisfaction. They want to make sure that all of their ducks are in a row,

00:02:39.760 that they meet all of their goals, et cetera, and that they are happy in their life. This typically means

00:02:44.520 for someone who is not a Christian, that they are confident in who they are. They've reached their

00:02:51.020 goal weight. They've got their goal job. Their hustle is going well, and they just have everything

00:02:57.760 together. And they're finally happy. They're happy in their relationships. They're happy in everything.

00:03:03.580 And then we as Christians, we look to that and we realize, okay, well, those things are ultimately

00:03:08.580 going to fail you. They're ultimately going to disappoint you. And we don't hear a lot of people outside of

00:03:13.900 Christianity talk about joy, talk about the pursuit of joy. And so I think that's probably why Christians

00:03:21.340 have traditionally drawn the line in the sand and tried to draw that distinction. But let's go to the

00:03:27.480 word of God and let's see what the word of God has to say about happiness and joy. So there are a few

00:03:34.140 different variations of the word happy or happiness in the Bible. They are all in the Old Testament.

00:03:40.660 The first is the word ashar, which literally means to be made level, to be made straight, to be made

00:03:47.120 right. Or it can also mean happy, can also mean to go forward, to prosper, can be used in the phrase

00:03:55.760 to be called blessed. It can also, a variation of this is to step forward or to step into something.

00:04:01.460 So here's the full definition of ashar in my Hebrew Greek keyword study Bible that I use from time to

00:04:08.620 time. It says a verb meaning to go straight, to go on, to advance forward, to be called blessed,

00:04:15.020 or to be made happy. Used figuratively, it means to follow a straight path in understanding or in

00:04:21.080 one's heart. When it is used intensively, it means going straight or advancing. So we see this version

00:04:27.540 of happy, uh, first in Genesis 30, 13, when Leah's servant, uh, bore Jacob, a son, she said, and Leah,

00:04:34.500 or the Bible says, and Leah said, happy am I for women have called me happy. So she called his name

00:04:40.440 Asher. And in Psalm 72, 17, we see this term for happiness come in the form of being called blessed.

00:04:47.660 It says, may his name, God's name endure forever. His fame continue as long as the sun may people be

00:04:54.000 blessed in him. All nations call him blessed. Uh, the third chapter of Proverbs personifies wisdom.

00:05:00.700 If you've ever read Proverbs, you know, it personifies wisdom a lot. Um, in this particular

00:05:05.860 chapter, it personifies wisdom as someone that you want to get to know someone that you want to hold

00:05:10.980 onto. Verse 18 of this chapter says, she is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. Those who hold

00:05:17.060 her fast are called blessed. Uh, there we see again, that the same term used for happy is used

00:05:24.000 for calling someone or something blessed in Proverbs nine, six, we see it used figuratively to

00:05:29.940 mean to follow a straight path. Like the definition we read says, uh, it says, leave your simple ways

00:05:36.420 and live and walk in a way of insight. So in this version of the word happiness in Hebrew, happiness

00:05:43.320 means to be called blessed, to be blessed, to go forward in blessing or to go forward on level ground

00:05:49.760 or on a straight path. It's closely linked in, uh, many contexts to wisdom, especially in the case of

00:05:57.080 Proverbs. So it seems that at least in the case, uh, that we're reading here, that happiness, according

00:06:03.340 to the Bible is not just a reaction the way that we think of it, uh, in kind of worldly terms. It's not

00:06:10.480 just this superficial feeling, according to the Bible. It's not just a reaction to circumstances.

00:06:15.660 It is actually a state of being in a way of doing. It is a description, both of the blessing of God's

00:06:22.840 favor for the Christian, but also describes, um, how we are to go forward and how we are going forward.

00:06:30.240 This state of happiness to advance onward. Um, another word of happiness that we see elsewhere in

00:06:37.080 scripture is a share or a share. I think the emphasis is on the first part, which is according

00:06:43.340 to the resource that I have a masculine noun, meaning a person's state of bliss. This Hebrew word

00:06:49.760 is always used to refer to people and is never used of God. It is almost exclusively poetic and usually

00:06:57.380 exclamatory and Proverbs. This blissfulness is frequently connected with wisdom. So again,

00:07:02.980 we see this state of happiness, the state of being described, uh, or describing humans is linked to

00:07:10.460 wisdom or a way of life or a way of being. Um, it's also used to describe a person or a nation

00:07:17.520 who enjoys a relationship with God. Sometimes it has religious significance. Uh, my study Bible says

00:07:24.580 sometimes it does not. So the Bible uses happiness to mean a state of bliss, which is not, uh,

00:07:31.880 Ness, oh, this is still part of the, uh, the definition, by the way, which is not necessarily

00:07:36.640 linked to a mood, but it's linked to a wisdom and to a relationship with God. So just like the verb

00:07:43.360 meaning to be happy, the noun for happiness, the one that we just read, Esher, and the Bible is linked

00:07:49.520 to rightness, to righteousness, to connection to God himself. Uh, Deuteronomy 33, 29 says this

00:07:56.260 happier you O Israel, who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help and

00:08:02.240 the sword of your triumph. So in describing Israel, uh, it says that Israel is happy. Why? Because

00:08:10.560 they are a people saved by the Lord, the Lord, who is the shield of their help, the sword of their

00:08:15.880 triumph. So this is a state and not just a reaction of Israel, but a state of Israel, the attitude,

00:08:22.980 the posture, the, uh, very essence of Israel because of who they are because of God. So it

00:08:30.020 describes their relationship to God and that they are blessed and happy because of this relationship.

00:08:35.800 Job 5, 17 uses the term this way, behold, uh, blessed is the one whom God reproves. Therefore

00:08:43.740 despise not the discipline of the almighty. So blessed there is the word that we are looking for that is

00:08:50.080 linked to a share. Uh, so this term happiness, as we see specifically in this job passage is not

00:08:56.680 always used in a way to describe reactions, uh, to circumstances or a feeling or just a good mood or

00:09:03.220 good vibes, but it actually, in the Bible denotes closeness to God and obtaining of wisdom that leads

00:09:09.380 us on level paths. It can also, it can also mean bliss. It can also mean a reaction, but so many times

00:09:16.000 we actually see that it's something much more profound than that in the Bible. Um, it's also

00:09:21.020 interesting to note what the definition said that, um, it is never used to describe God or reference God

00:09:27.300 in the Bible. Um, it always described humans. So this state of happiness as it's described in scripture

00:09:34.740 seems to be a state that is uniquely human and maybe, and this is just an alley analysis is not

00:09:42.000 an inerrant analysis. Maybe it's because can God cannot, uh, draw close to himself. He has no need

00:09:49.520 to obtain wisdom. He has no need to be put on a level path and he does not enter into bliss the way

00:09:55.740 that we do. So this is more of a human characteristic and a human action in a human state of being than it

00:10:02.660 is of the eternal God himself. Uh, what we can also tell so far from scripture is that happiness

00:10:08.480 isn't exactly like what we as human beings, even human Christians, uh, say that it is. We describe

00:10:16.020 happiness as superficial as something of this world. Typically is something that's fleeting,

00:10:21.460 something that is not to be, uh, pursued or focused on. And I don't think that we are wrong to say that.

00:10:29.260 I don't, um, because I've said that a million times in the book that I'm writing, I make the same

00:10:33.840 argument. Um, because when we say that we are speaking, uh, in the context of our culture,

00:10:40.200 I mean, today in 2019, when people say that they want to be happy, uh, they're typically talking

00:10:45.040 about a feeling. They're typically talking about, um, their needs being met, being filled up. They're

00:10:50.040 typically talking about serving themselves, uh, serving themselves all the time and getting

00:10:55.340 everything that they've ever wanted. They are often looking to satisfy themselves, uh, with things

00:11:00.400 that aren't meant to ultimately satisfy. So I think the Christian is correct in saying, Hey,

00:11:04.600 that's not worth all of your time and your energy and your worship. Uh, but, uh, I, well, I think

00:11:11.860 that we are before I say, but I think that we are right to refute that. I think that we are right to

00:11:16.380 say that circumstances and things and people aren't going to satisfy you and that only God will,

00:11:21.640 and that we are right to say that there's a different kind of satisfaction that comes with being a

00:11:26.820 Christian that transcends, uh, good and bad circumstances. So I think that we're right to

00:11:31.260 make those criticisms of our culture, but I'm thinking, and this is just something that I've

00:11:36.560 been thinking about over the past few days, uh, maybe a different way for us to think about this

00:11:41.840 and think about this idea of happiness is not that happiness is bad or happiness is always fleeting.

00:11:47.520 Um, but that the world's definition of what happiness is, uh, is bad and is wrong. So those who are

00:11:55.320 pursuing happiness as a feeling or out of selfishness are actually not pursuing happiness

00:12:01.320 at all, at least not the definition of happiness that God gives, who is the definer of all things.

00:12:07.500 Uh, so maybe Christians shouldn't be afraid of saying that we do want to be happy, that we are

00:12:12.780 pursuing happiness because according to God's word, happiness is not really as superficial as humans

00:12:18.460 have made it to be. Happiness is walking on a level path in relationship with the Lord and in wisdom.

00:12:23.980 Um, so maybe we should not be worried about wanting even the kind of happiness that we see in the

00:12:30.040 Bible that is exclamatory and is reactive because, uh, that too, in the context of scripture can be

00:12:36.740 of the Lord and we can see that as a blessing. So maybe we shouldn't necessarily categorize

00:12:42.560 happiness is bad, but we should redefine the world's definition of happiness to actually be the

00:12:48.160 satisfaction and the contentment that we find in the Lord that is described in the Bible. And maybe

00:12:53.960 the people who say that they're pursuing happiness, uh, but are actually just pursuing selfishness

00:12:59.100 aren't pursuing happiness at all. Maybe they're just pursuing lust. Maybe they're just pursuing that

00:13:04.100 fleeting pleasure. Maybe they're just pursuing, um, self-service and they're calling it happiness,

00:13:09.240 but it's really not happiness at all. According to the Bible, I would say that we can say definitively

00:13:14.060 that what they're chasing after isn't happiness. It's just some kind of, uh, self-serving

00:13:20.880 goal that they have. So I think it's a matter of redefining happiness to mean what God says that

00:13:27.180 it means. Now there is a different word in the Bible, which is joy, which does seem to have some

00:13:34.620 distinction from happiness, uh, because it's not used synonymously. The Hebrew word for joy is not the

00:13:41.160 same as, uh, the Hebrew word for happiness. The Hebrew word for joy is Simcha. This is used throughout the

00:13:48.900 Old Testament to describe mirth or rejoicing or celebration. Often we see it is used synonymously

00:13:54.880 with gladness. Uh, Psalm four, seven says you have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain

00:14:02.200 and new wine abound. Uh, Proverbs 10, 28 says the hope of the righteous is gladness, but the expectation

00:14:09.140 of the wicked perishes. Proverbs 21, 15 says the exercise of justice is joy for the righteous,

00:14:16.080 but is tear to the workers of iniquity. Uh, there is another word for gladness that is pronounced

00:14:32.600 tube. I'm pretty sure I am. Uh, I'm pronouncing that correctly, but anyone out there who is a scholar

00:14:40.820 in Hebrew can let me know it's pronounced tube. My, uh, research or my resource says, uh, it can be

00:14:47.000 expressed as goodness or beauty or welfare. It denotes an inner joy as in Isaiah 65, 14, behold,

00:14:55.140 my servants shall sing for gladness of heart. It can also mean, and this is my favorite definition of

00:15:00.660 joy that I found in the Bible. It can also mean the manifest goodness of the Lord. So the goodness of

00:15:08.000 the Lord actually manifesting itself outwardly in our lives. And we see that in Exodus 33, 19.

00:15:14.380 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name,

00:15:20.060 the Lord, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. And I will show mercy on whom I will

00:15:25.660 show mercy. Now we could go into Romans nine because that verse is referenced in Romans nine and talking

00:15:31.380 about chosenness, but I have an entire episode on predestination that's coming out this summer. So

00:15:36.620 we won't get into that. Um, but here we see, I will make all of my goodness pass before you and

00:15:42.860 will proclaim before you my name, the Lord. So that is a manifestation of the goodness of the Lord

00:15:48.440 that is used synonymously, uh, with joy or with gladness. Um, in the new Testament, the Greek word

00:15:54.600 for joy is kara or kara, but I think it's kara, um, which means cheerfulness or gladness. It is

00:16:01.960 associated, uh, it's being associated with being aware of God's grace, which I also think is a

00:16:09.480 really great definition and kind of parallels with the Hebrew definition of the manifestation of the

00:16:14.720 goodness of the Lord or the celebration of the goodness of the Lord in Greek. Uh, this means being

00:16:19.320 aware of God's grace, which you could say is the manifestation of the Lord's goodness in our lives,

00:16:26.160 right? Uh, that definition, uh, fits really well. This being aware of God's grace, it fits really

00:16:31.840 well with how it's used in Matthew 2 10. Uh, when speaking of the wise men seeking Jesus, when they

00:16:37.180 saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. I mean, there's no better manifestation or

00:16:43.200 awareness of God's grace than realizing that you are seeking and finding the Messiah. Um, it can also

00:16:49.540 mean the source of joy or the occasion for joy, which is what we see in that famous verse that most of

00:16:55.360 you probably know James, uh, James one, two, I don't know how I just mispronounced James, but I did a

00:17:02.560 James one, two counted all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of many kinds. So the source of our

00:17:08.180 joy, uh, in that particular verse, of course, we know is understood to be Christ. It can also mean the

00:17:15.160 fruition of joy of enjoyment or bliss. Here is an interesting way to use that in Hebrews 12 to looking to

00:17:24.180 Jesus, the founder and the perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured

00:17:29.640 the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. And so in this

00:17:36.980 case, this word joy means the fruition of joy of enjoyment and bless bliss. And we are talking about

00:17:43.500 the crucifixion and the facing of crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And joy is used here. The fruition,

00:17:51.000 the fullness, the manifestation of joy of enjoyment and bliss. I mean, that's pretty crazy description

00:17:59.060 of the son of God facing a gruesome death on the cross, but that's what it says that for the joy

00:18:07.780 that was set before him, he endured the cross, the joy, of course, um, being seated at the right hand

00:18:14.680 of God and also, uh, our redemption. Um, so in the word, particularly in the new Testament,

00:18:21.320 it is very often used as a reaction, as an exclamation. It's really not very dissimilar to

00:18:29.020 how happiness is used. Joy and gladness and rejoicing, uh, in the old Testament is often used

00:18:35.640 as a form of gratitude to God or celebration. Of course, like we said, it denotes a rightness in

00:18:41.140 relationship with God. Um, it's also like happiness. Joy is used to describe a state of bliss and a state

00:18:48.460 of wellbeing. But I think more importantly, joy, just like happiness, uh, is connected to this

00:18:55.120 connection with God in the state of being, because we are in God. Um, it is connected to understanding,

00:19:01.240 uh, the goodness of God. And so really the, the place where we derive both our happiness and joy

00:19:09.460 comes from God. And so I think it's a little bit of, um, it's a little bit of a false statement for

00:19:16.840 Christians to say that there is this great big chasm between happiness and joy. I don't think

00:19:22.900 it's wrong for us to think about joy being this thing that we hold onto because of Christ, no matter

00:19:29.960 what our circumstances are. I don't think that there's anything wrong with that. And maybe defining

00:19:35.400 happiness as a more temporal thing, because that is, like I said, how we see it manifested in the

00:19:42.200 world, but it's not really how we see it manifested in the Bible. The things that we see demonized and

00:19:49.020 the things that we see called sin, uh, throughout, I would say specifically Proverbs, but also elsewhere

00:19:55.000 is not really happiness. It's more fleeting pleasure that is outside the context of what God,

00:20:02.860 of what God gives us. And I would say that pleasure is not even wrong. Um, but God gives us pleasure

00:20:10.560 within the proper context in which he says, this is which this is the context in which you can enjoy

00:20:17.540 this thing. You can enjoy this person. You can enjoy this gift. Anytime pleasure is taken outside

00:20:23.520 of the context of what God gives us, there is going to be pain. There's going to be confusion. There's

00:20:28.260 going to be destruction. Anyone who has sinned can tell you that that's the case. But as far as

00:20:33.400 happiness goes, I don't think that it's necessary for Christians to say, well, happiness is not

00:20:39.380 important. Happiness in the Lord does seem pretty important. It actually denotes, it seems like a

00:20:45.320 rightness with God. It actually denotes a relationship with God that is, um, that is described by happiness.

00:20:53.620 When Israel is described as happy, it is because they have been saved by the Lord. It's because

00:20:59.420 they have been rescued by the Lord. Um, and joy similarly is because we are in Christ because

00:21:07.680 we can endure these trials because we can endure what comes before us because of our relationship

00:21:12.780 with God. It is God's grace, his goodness made manifest in our lives. And, um, that is how people know

00:21:21.620 that is how people see that we are different, that we are, uh, not the same as the world,

00:21:28.020 that we're not pursuing pleasure and pursuing lust and pursuing selfishness in the way that everyone

00:21:33.360 else is, that we are in a state of bliss. We are in a state of gratitude. We are in a state of

00:21:38.340 confidence and calm because of our rightness in our relationship with God. And I think the world is

00:21:44.620 able to see that what they think that they're pursuing is happiness. I think they're able to see when

00:21:50.240 they look at the life of a Holy Christian who is following God. Um, they see that there is a

00:21:55.940 difference there. They see that there is a difference in happiness. So I I'm not sure. And this makes me

00:22:01.660 rethink a lot of how I talk about things because I talk a lot about, you know, happiness, not being

00:22:07.640 important. Don't worry about happiness. What I really mean by that is that, uh, you're not always

00:22:12.860 going to feel good and that's okay. It's not always about you. It's not always about giving your

00:22:18.020 way. Um, it's actually about something much bigger than that. It's about purpose. It's about

00:22:22.920 sacrifice. Jesus calls us to self-denial. Jesus asks us to come and die, to go follow him. That

00:22:29.040 doesn't necessarily sound like the definition of happiness, but as a matter of fact, the Bible says

00:22:34.480 that it is that we can be in an extremely happy state, uh, when we are in Christ. Now, I don't think

00:22:42.160 that has to follow our definitions of, you know, being smiley and being giddy all the time and pretending

00:22:47.620 that everything is okay, but I do think that it's not quite as different as the steady state of joy

00:22:54.880 as we might have previously thought. And of course, it's important in all things for us to get our

00:23:01.340 definitions of words, to get our definitions of our terms, uh, from the God of scripture. It's more of a

00:23:10.060 just, uh, readjusting our perspective on things, uh, rather than, rather than completely denouncing

00:23:19.680 one thing in favor of the other, because we think the world's definition of it is bad. If that makes

00:23:24.380 any sense. Um, okay. I've gotten a lot of comments about, or I've gotten a lot of questions. I get

00:23:29.340 questions a lot about, okay, what kind of Bible do you read? What kind of commentaries do you read?

00:23:34.140 Please go listen to last week's podcast. Last week I talked about the commentaries that I use,

00:23:40.880 how to use them, why I think that they're, uh, right to use. Um, so please go listen to that.

00:23:47.460 If you are wondering about that, uh, as you guys know, this summer is, well, I guess we are already

00:23:55.860 in this summer maternity leave when I have my child will, which will be in just a few weeks. Um,

00:24:02.280 I am going to have content coming out for you guys. I'm going to have podcasts coming out every

00:24:07.400 week. A lot of the questions that you guys have, a lot of the suggestions that you guys make for

00:24:12.260 things for us to talk about on this podcast, I am going to be covering this summer. I'm going to be

00:24:16.900 covering predestination. I'm going to be covering women in the church. I'm going to be covering

00:24:21.140 worship music. I am going to be talking to a lot of interesting people. Some of them are

00:24:27.320 Christian. Some of them are not Christian. Some of them are about things that are going on in the

00:24:31.400 church. Some of them are about things that are going on in politics and the media. And so, um,

00:24:38.080 you're going to get all kinds of diverse content this summer. I'm really excited for you guys.

00:24:43.120 Honestly, like, I think that you're going to get more benefit. Uh, maybe I don't know if I should

00:24:48.960 say this more benefit out of some of the things that we're talking about this summer than you will,

00:24:52.660 uh, on the, uh, on the episodes that we have every week that kind of cover the things that are going

00:24:57.880 on, especially Wednesday's podcast, which covers the news. Like, I just think it's going to be

00:25:02.280 very beneficial because we're also talking about political things. We're talking about like

00:25:05.220 Medicare for all. We're talking about universal basic income. We're talking about the constitution.

00:25:09.360 I think that this summer is going to be a great opportunity for you guys to listen to podcasts and

00:25:15.640 to glean from the research that I have done. So you don't have to do it yourself and be prepared,

00:25:20.440 uh, for the presidential election, because in the presidential election,

00:25:23.900 we're going to be hearing about a lot of different stuff that if you don't know what they're talking

00:25:28.800 about, you're going to be confused and you're going to be dejected just like you were in 2016

00:25:32.420 and want to change the channel. But I think that if we approach everything from, uh, the Christian

00:25:38.880 worldview, and if we approach everything from a thoughtful perspective and a knowledgeable

00:25:42.840 perspective of what issues are at stake, both politically and, uh, culturally, I would add to that

00:25:48.860 also, uh, Christian, Christian wise, religiously, I guess I want to say, but I want to

00:25:53.880 to say specifically Christian, um, that I think that things will be a lot more manageable. I think

00:26:01.320 when we can wrap our heads around where culture and where society is moving and why, and what our

00:26:08.220 role is as Christians in the midst of that, I think that we will not be quite as discouraged as so many

00:26:15.480 of us were in 2016. I mean, I just think a lot of us were blindsided by all of the drama and the

00:26:22.020 craziness. I'm sure a lot of you still have relationships that are hurt from the 2016

00:26:25.880 election. I think it can't get much worse than that. Maybe I'm too optimistic. I think it can't

00:26:33.100 get much worse than the 2016 election and just how wild that was. Now we have our wits about us,

00:26:38.720 right? Like we understand that things are going to get bad. Things are going to get nasty and we have

00:26:43.420 to be thoughtful Christians. And we don't have an option not to care about the things that are going

00:26:48.020 on, on earth. Now that doesn't mean that we get too caught up in these things. We don't put our

00:26:52.340 hope in politics. We don't put our satisfaction in politics. We don't, uh, you know, we don't put

00:26:58.480 our hope in any politician. Certainly we don't see a politician as our Messiah or as our savior.

00:27:04.180 We don't get so consumed that we become anxious and that we become depressed about this kind of

00:27:09.940 stuff. Cause we do have to remember who the God of the universe is and that he's already won.

00:27:14.320 And that one day Jesus is going to come back and we're not going to have to worry about politics

00:27:17.480 anymore. And we do have to remember that our primary responsibility in all things is to share

00:27:22.820 the gospel of Christ. But that does not mean that's not mutually exclusive. I was caring about what's

00:27:27.860 going on on earth. We live in this wonderful, amazing country where we get a say in who leads

00:27:34.500 us and how they lead us. Now it might seem, and it might feel like, and for good reason,

00:27:38.800 like we're getting further and further away from being actually connected to the people who represent us

00:27:44.320 in Washington and even at your, in your state Capitol and your state legislature. Uh, but it's

00:27:49.440 still important for us while we have the right to do so while we have the freedom to do so, uh, to take

00:27:55.800 that right and freedom seriously. I was talking to a group, um, last week and I said, you know, uh,

00:28:02.020 a lot of people use the verse render to Caesar. What is Caesar's render to God? So what is God's to

00:28:06.580 kind of justify their political apathy? But I don't think that that's what that verse means. I think that,

00:28:12.600 uh, we rendered a Caesar, what is Caesar's, but in the United States, we have this right and this

00:28:17.460 privilege to get to decide what is actually Caesar's. And as Christians, the Bible speaks very

00:28:22.880 clear to what the role of the government is, which is primarily to punish the wrongdoer and to

00:28:29.020 recognize people's rights. And in that way, uh, by punishing the wrongdoer and recognizing people's

00:28:35.140 rights, not giving people their rights, but recognizing their God-given rights. They do also defend the

00:28:41.140 vulnerable and the marginalized and the oppressed, uh, in that way. But in the United States,

00:28:47.400 like we get a say in that we get to say what should be Caesar's and what should be God's.

00:28:52.220 Our obedience goes to God. Our allegiance goes to God. Our worship goes to God. The government has a

00:28:58.880 very limited role and it is, uh, the onus is on us to be able to limit the government's power. And so

00:29:04.880 it's really not an option for us not to care. So all that to say, I do think that the content that's

00:29:10.500 coming out this summer is really going to help kind of put us in the right place. Now there are

00:29:15.040 theological theological episodes that you are probably not going to agree with. And that's

00:29:19.780 perfectly fine. Unless you believe all of the things that I believe, unless you are, you come

00:29:23.680 from a Calvinist background and you are reformed and you've got all the resources that I do. We might

00:29:28.760 disagree. And I want you to know that's perfectly fine. We might also disagree on political subjects

00:29:32.820 as well, but I hope you'll stick with me and I hope you'll take it as, um, thoughtful dialogue

00:29:38.340 and as a thoughtful conversation that we can have that will help you a research that will prompt you

00:29:44.940 to ask questions and to dig into your own research. We're just kind of covering these things as much

00:29:49.360 as we can this summer. Um, every subject that we're covering is kind of complicated, honestly,

00:29:55.420 and we can only get to so much, but I'm hoping that it is a intellectual fodder for you, that you

00:30:02.340 are thinking about the subjects that we discussed this summer and it actually helps you feel smarter.

00:30:07.240 That's what I love about a good podcast is that it makes you feel smarter than when you turned it on

00:30:12.520 the podcast that just kind of drains you. It doesn't help at all. If you feel like that about

00:30:16.780 this podcast, then you shouldn't be listening. But if you like this podcast, uh, you should keep

00:30:20.740 listening. And also if you so choose, give me five stars on the iTunes. That means a lot to me. I read

00:30:25.960 the reviews and if you like this podcast, I would love for you to do that. Okay. That's all the time

00:30:32.040 that we have for today. I will see you on Wednesday.

Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - June 03, 2019

Ep 120 ｜ Happiness & Joy

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