The American Dream…right or wrong?

(Pursuit of happiness)

The Declaration of Independence

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. #1 –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. –Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

#1

I agree whole-heartedly with the founding Forefathers declaration. It is indeed the God given right (the right to choose is God given anyway…) in this country to obtain “certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” And no one person or government has the right to annul (take away) these self-evident (or obvious) rights. Tyranny (dictatorship) is evil. Freedom is Godly. But… and it’s a big but, this declaration has been misused and abused by the American people through the centuries. Just because we have the right to choose doesn’t mean that we are going to choose rightly.

What do I mean by this statement? Well let’s take a look at what Jesus says on the matter.

Mat 16:21 From that time forth Jesus began [clearly] to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders and the high priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised from death.

Mat 16:22 Then Peter took Him aside to speak to Him privately and began to reprove and charge Him sharply, saying, God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to You!

Mat 16:23 But Jesus turned away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.

Mat 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].

Mat 16:25 For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].

Mat 16:26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life [his blessed life in the kingdom of God]? Or what would a man give as an exchange for his [blessed] life [in the kingdom of God]?

Mat 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory (majesty, splendor) of His Father with His angels, and then He will render account and reward every man in accordance with what he has done. Amplified version

NOTE : (what he has done while in the body, with the life that God has given him)

One can clearly see by looking at what Jesus said, that if anyone wants to follow his example in life, he or she must deny (original greek word G533 [aparneomai] means to abstain or disown) themselves, their own pursuit of happiness, and all self-interests, pick up his or her cross (a picture of death to self) and then come and follow Him. This sounds like it is pretty much against the good ole American dream doesn’t it. To choose life according to Jesus is to pursue the Son of God even if it means self-denial.

Mat 16:22 Then Peter took Him aside to speak to Him privately and began to reprove and charge Him sharply, saying, God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to You!

Peter was believing in the American dream.

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. In other words, Peter was rebuking Jesus an saying, ” Look Lord, your not speaking very pleasantly here! Come on don’t talk like this. What do you mean your going to suffer and die! What kind of talk is this! God wants us to prosper! Come now no more negative talking.”

I am sure Peter thought he was in the right and so he was very bold in taking Jesus aside and chiding Him. Peter thought like most of us, that we should pursue happiness for ourselves. This is what life is about isn’t it? Self gain is important isn’t it? Pursuing happiness for oneself? God forbid that we should willingly suffer or die even! After all that seems to be what most of humanity is after…pursuing dreams, our happiness and living the good life.

Well according to God’s words on the matter, a self-centered (pleasing self) life does not seem to be in our best interests after all.

Luk 16:19 There was a certain rich man who [habitually] clothed himself in purple and fine linen and reveled and feasted and made merry in splendor every day.

Luk 16:20 And at his gate there was [carelessly] dropped down and left a certain utterly destitute man named Lazarus, [reduced to begging alms and] covered with [ulcerated] sores.

Luk 16:21 He [eagerly] desired to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs even came and licked his sores.

Luk 16:22 And it occurred that the man [reduced to] begging died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

Luk 16:23 And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Luk 16:24 And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.

Luk 16:25 But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime fully received [what is due you in] comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses; but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.

Luk 16:26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who want to pass from this [place] to you may not be able, and no one may pass from there to us.

Luk 16:27 And [the man] said, Then, father, I beseech you to send him to my father’s house–

Luk 16:28 For I have five brothers–so that he may give [solemn] testimony and warn them, lest they too come into this place of torment.

Luk 16:29 But Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear and listen to them.

Luk 16:30 But he answered, No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent (change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins).

Luk 16:31 He said to him, If they do not hear and listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded and convinced and believe [even] if someone should rise from the dead.

Looking at Luke 16: 19 I think it is clear that the rich man was living in habitual merriment. The word revel in the amplified text means ” to indulge, to have fun.”

Now God is not against having fun. All through the old testament one can find examples of how the Lord very much wanted great celebrations to happen in the Israelite’s encampments. (The source of this merriment though was towards God and not self-seeking)

1Ch 16:10 Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

But what the Holy Spirit is wanting to reveal here is this…

When we as people pursue (strive for and work towards) our own happiness first, we get trapped and ensnared in a life of self-indulgence. Which is idol worship. An idol is a substitute or replacement for God.

This is why there are so many broken marriages resulting in broken homes. If any person seeks or pursues their own happiness over God who is love, the end is an ultimate divorce of love. No love = No family

Rather, our own happiness should come last in the order of things. the pursuit or striving for of our own happiness is wrong. Others will suffer if we engage in such practices.

Jesus said in Matthew it is difficult for a rich man to enter heaven.

Mat 19:23 And Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you, it will be difficult for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go into the kingdom of heaven.

But why is this? Because of the very things we have been talking about. A rich person in most cases, but not all, got where he or she is because they pursued their own happiness regardless of who it hurt. There are many of us humans who grew up in a home void of love because the parents were to busy with pleasing self. Pursuing the American dream as it were.

In fact, some feel guilty before the Lord so they appease their own conscious by giving their neglected children material things. When I was growing up we didn’t have to much but we had some family love for each other. Not so with other kids I knew. They had all kinds of cool stuff but they didn’t have much if any love in their home. How utterly sad. Oh there is a price for the pursuit of happiness. It’s easy for a rich person to miss heaven.

Unless we deny ourselves (self-fulfillment) pick up our cross and follow Him, we are not worthy of Him.

Mat 10:38 And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first thekingdom of God, andhis righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. king James Version

In other words, we are told to pursue God and His kingdom. The word seek here means in the original Greek ²²¹²(ze?teo?) to desire, to plot, to go about or be about, to enquire. The word desire in our language means to long for or to have an appetite for. One of the replacement words in our language for “seek” means to pursue.

And that is what this topic is all about…

It seems the American Dream is misguided.

Mat 16:23 But Jesus turned away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.

Jesus was speaking plainly that Peter was only concerned for the things of men (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) and not on the things and nature of God. You see to do the will of God above all else many times and most of the time means to deny one self.

Jesus was obedient even unto death. To do the will of His Father in heaven was more important than life itself.

Phi 2:8 And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! [amplified version]

Doesn’t sound like the word of God promotes self-gain does it? In fact it warns against it.

1Titus 5:6 Whereas she who lives in pleasure and self-gratification [giving herself up to luxury and self-indulgence] is dead even while she [still] lives.

Jam 5:1 Come now, you rich [people], weep aloud and lament over the miseries (the woes) that are surely coming upon you.

Jam 5:5 [Here] on earth you have abandoned yourselves to soft (prodigal) living and to [the pleasures of] self-indulgence and self-gratification. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

Here in another place it gives us the blue prints of how we should approach life having the right attitude.

1Pe 4:1 So, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God],

1Pe 4:2 So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills.

The Holy Spirit of Christ makes it quite clear that we ought not to live to please ourselves but to do the will of God.

Joh 4:34 Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work.

Our lives are to be offered up as a sacrifice to Him and His purposes, rather than of ourselves and self-interests.

Rom 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.

Selfish ambition is at the root of everything evil.

Jam 3:16 For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices.

So you see to pursue and work toward ones own happiness is very dangerous and usually leads to all sorts of evils and bondages. Godly love loves even to it’s own hurt. It denys self every time when confronted with the choice of serving self or God, who is love. Love does not demand it’s own way. It is not self-seeking.

1Co 13:5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The fulfillment that God’s indwelt Spirit brings is the only way to live and keep ourselves from this evil self-seeking spirit that tries to take us captive. If we put off or deny the old sin nature (pleasing of self) and do not put on (give ourselves over to and be filled with)the Spirit of God, we will be empty and unhappy having no joy.

It is vital to pursue the living God then after forsaking self. If we do not then we will eventually become weary of well doing and fall back into our past lusts of pleasing our flesh. It is the indwelling of Christ that is our only hope of glory.

Col 1:27 to whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, who is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Literal translation version)

We were created to experience God in His fullness. To find joy in His presence. To be utterly filled with His glory.

Eph 3:19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!