User:Rperezt/Ruben Perez Torres

Is it Possible to Be Happy Today? Ruben Perez-Torres, D. Min. Ph. D.

Some years ago, before teaching my class of ethics at the Universidad Interamericana in Puerto Rico, a student asked me a very honest question. He asked; “Professor, can happiness be reached while on this earth? During that time I was not thinking about anything related to this question, but I thought for a few minutes and then answered. I said: “Yes! It is possible to be happy if God is in our lives.”

What is Happiness? It has been said that happiness is not a simple gift. Happiness is something that you have to acquire. You must take the steps towards happiness. There are no elevators. You must be determined and willing to fight against many adversities to reach happiness. The adjective happy implies that the subject person has found happiness. We understand that happiness is about feelings and “the state of mind of a person who has obtained something good.”1  It is to feel satisfaction, pleasure and contentment. Happiness also comes when an individual feels fulfillment because the main goals of his/her life have been reached.

There are different perspectives on what happiness is. From the most negative views to the most positive views, there are different perspectives concerning happiness. The Spanish philosopher, Julian Marias expressed a negative view of happiness. He said; “Happiness is an impossible need that we cannot obtain; yet we can’t do without it if we want to live meaningful lives.” The exaggerated idealistic point of view states that all of humanity is full of pure joy and laughter with personal delight and constant celebration. The purpose of this book is not to present the cruel realities of life as simple tragedies to overcome. Nor do we want to fall into the unrealistic and superficial belief that all is well and rosy. The author’s goal is to present several principles that are biblical, morally and theologically based. These principles will help the reader to find the happiness that God desires for every human being on earth. Suicide in the western hemisphere is on the rise. Unfortunately, even Christians are being tempted to end their lives. Many have lost sight of God their Creator, who has given them the wonderful gift of life. Domestic violence, crime, social injustice, pollution, terminal illness, and many other unfortunate events are threatening the quality of our lives and are robbing us of happiness.

What should we do when facing situations that are destroying us? When facing the enormous amount of difficult situations in our lives, we have just two options. We can become bitter as we allow the problems to consume us, or we can choose to stand up and face our problems. The latter is the choice we must take. Dare to make the difference with God’s help and proclaim vigorously that life is the most beautiful thing that we have been offered. Resolve to live your life with purpose. Make every effort to receive all the benefits that come from living. Throughout the pages of this article there are teachings about abundant life. The reader can use the principles offered to reach full happiness. First of all, we must be clear that God’s desire is for us to be happy. The psalmist wrote; “Blessed (happy) are all who take refuge in him.”  “Blessed (happy) is the man who makes the Lord his trust…”   Blessed (happy) is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”2 Although God desires for all of his children to be happy, our happiness is not dependent only on him. We must be willing to receive the happiness that God desires to bestow upon us. In order to be happy, we must develop an appropriate perspective of God. The perspective that you hold of your Creator will determine the type of relationship you have with him. If you visualize the Supreme Being as a dictator, you will probably not want to get too near to him. On the other hand, if you see God as a wonderful father you would be able to say as Jesus did: “Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”3

How can we improve our lives? It may seem a bit ironic and contradictory that we are talking about happiness in a time when there are wars in many parts of the world. People have died and continue to lose their lives as a consequence of war. What can we do? First, we must pray for peace. Secondly, we should promote peace and not war. If I had the power to do so, I would stop all warlike conflicts immediately. Unfortunately, it is not that easy. Nevertheless, your life and mine continues on, in this country. Let’s look to our Creator because he is a good God. The psalmist declared: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”4  Draw close to God in this moment and ask him to clear your mind so that you can understand that he wants the best for your life. Thirdly, go to God’s word and read it. Meditate on it and study the Bible continuously. Begin with the Psalms of the Old Testament. You can also read the book of John in the New Testament. In the Bible, you’ll find many motivational themes that will help you to press on in spite of inconveniences, limitations, frustrations, sicknesses, conflicts and other difficulties. These wonderful truths that appear in the Scriptures have let us to conclude that to be alive is a wonderful and miraculous thing. The Word inspires us to go forward.

Allow Jesus to be the great teacher of your life. It is from him that you will receive the fundamental teachings to sustain you throughout your spiritual journey. He has sustained me for the past fifty years. Jesus of Nazareth dedicated much of his valuable time to his disciples. He revealed the most precious, deep truths of God’s kingdom to them. One of these truths is summed up in this quote: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” 5

Put Your Complete Trust in God In the summer of 1988, I was beginning to pursue a Doctorate degree from the University of Birmingham, England. During one of my flights back to San Juan, Puerto Rico, something happened that changed my understanding of faith forever. As we were being served a meal, the plane suddenly felt light and empty. The sensation that I was experiencing was of falling down. Food spilled all over the passengers as their screams of panic filled the air. The stewardess hurt herself as she fell to the ground. A nun sitting beside me was nervously praying. Frightened and desperate, I too attempted to pray. In a matter of seconds I repented of all of my childhood as well as adult sins. I began to reclaim God’s promises. Then somehow, I don’t ______________________________________________________________________________ 1 The Spanish Dictionary: Real Academia Española, Diccionario de la Lengua Española, Vigésima Primera Edición; (Madrid: Editorial Espasa Calpe, 1996) s.v. 2 Ps. 2:12b; 40:4; 33:12 3 Mt. 6:9 4 Ps. 107:1 5. Mt. 5: 8. know how; I was able to mentally leave that awful situation and supernaturally enter into God’s presence. I began to firmly rebuke the forces and winds that were threatening to blow the plane with its 300 passengers out of the air. A few minutes later, by God’s mercy a miracle occurred. We began to glide through the storm until we were able to land safely with nothing more to fear.

The Reality of our Faith After that terrible hair-raising experience, I discovered that a pilot does not depend only on what he/she sees or feels. The pilot counts on the information received by the plane’s electronic devices as well as assistance from air traffic controllers. Likewise, all believers must know that faith does not come by what we see or because of other human senses. Faith is not dependant on our current circumstances. Faith depends on what the word of God says.

Develop Your Faith In order to totally rely on God, it is important and necessary to develop your faith. Jesus told them; “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”1  So, what is faith? The word faith comes from the Greek pistis (pisti”) which means “firm persuasion; a conviction that occurs by what is heard.”2 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”3  In the book of Hebrews the writer eloquently declares; “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”4 The author initially defines this Christian virtue when he said: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”5  Let us define faith as the genuine confidence that we deposit upon God and his word. For God allows us to imagine realities.6  Therefore, faith is not a blind leap. Instead, it is a sure walk through the solid ground of God’s word; which allows us to live a happy life here and now.

The Difference between Faith and Magic Faith is not magic. It is instead; knowledge based on biblical revelation. Magic is the human attempt to manipulate what is divine; for personal gain and interests that are far from God’s kingdom. Contrary to magic, faith is letting God direct our lives towards his saving purposes. Jesus taught; “Everything is possible for him who believes.”7   He was referring to: 1) That which is in accordance with God’s word.   2) That which belongs to his will. 3) That which blesses and edifies us. 4) That which moves his Kingdom forward. Hearing God’s word develops faith. Therefore, in order to grow, it is necessary to regularly visit the valuable pages of God’s word. Theologically speaking, the term “religious semen” is used to refer to the religious seed that ___________________________________________ 1Mt.17:20 2W.E.Vine, ed. Vine Diccionario Expositivo; (Nashville:Editorial Caribe, 1999)s.v.Fe. 3Ro.10:17 4He.11:6 5 He. 11:1 6Information taken from the author’s book: La Oracion Eficaz, Una teologia y visionefectiva de la oracion para el Nuevo milenio; (Caguas: Editorial MIREC, 2001), pp.21-23 7Mk.9:23

all humans have. This makes every human into a religious person by nature. However, Paul says; “…for all men have not faith.”8   Previously he declared; “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more…”9   This clearly indicates that our faith can increase.

It is wise to make an important distinction here. There is a difference between faith that is a simple approval or religious belief and the saving faith that the Holy Spirit produces in a person. Faith produced by the Holy Spirit allows a person to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Concerning this, the apostle wrote to the gentiles; “For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith…”10   “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith…”11   “…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”12

Salvation according to the bible occurs when a person experiences communion with God. Once a person experiences this great Salvation, he/she should cultivate it through faith. That person should also begin to discover what it means to have abundant life through Christ. The eternal truths found in the scriptures contain power that is unequal to anything else. This power will destroy all the walls of doubt that interfere in our relationship with the heavenly father. Before becoming a grain, the mustard seed is planted on good soil that allows it to grow. From there, a plant is produced that is beneficial to humans. Similarly, faith must be planted in the areas of our hearts and minds. This faith will be converted into a strong and beautiful plant with the living water from God’s word and the light of the Holy Spirit work of the Holy Spirit, we become obedient to God’s word as we serve Him and our fellow man. This confidence causes marvelous and permanent changes in our lives. It will become a strong plant that is good for all creation. In our minds we are filled with conviction as our hearts over flow with God’s love. “The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself through love.”13

Faith is having total confidence in God, who became a man in Christ Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, God guides us towards a life of obedience to his word. This means that we will have a life of service for Him and others. Thus, this total confidence in God will bring to us, life changing, positive consequences.

Abraham: A Great Example of Faith A divine call of God was precisely the extraordinary experience of Abraham. He did not waver in his obedience to God. He heard a voice that said: “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”14

___________________________________________ 82Th.3:2 91:3 10Ro.1:17 11Ep.2:8 123:17 13Ga.5:6b 14Ge.12:1-3 With such a radical calling as this, it is natural for doubt to overtake the recipient. It is practically insane for someone to leave everything and head out to an unknown land. Nevertheless, the bible surprises us when it informs that “Abram left, as the Lord had told him…”15  No wonder he has been called “The father of faith.”  He earned this title because he believed God in spite of his own circumstances and limited human possibilities. Like no one else in Scripture, Paul described this inspiring testimony of how Abram trusted God when he wrote: I have made you a father of many nations. And this became a reality before God, whom Abraham trusted. He is the God that gives life to the dead and calls the things that are not as if they were. He believed against all odds until he became what was promised; the “father of many nations.” Abraham’s faith did not weaken although his body was slowly dying. (He was almost one hundred years old.) Sarah’s womb was also sterile. But, he did not doubt God’s promise! Instead, he was strengthened by faith as he gave glory to God. He was totally convinced of God’s power to make the promise come true. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”16 The biblical text concludes; “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed…”17 We are offered here the clue as to how Abraham kept himself on the steps of faith. Humanly speaking, Abram could not be a biological father because of his age and the sterile condition of his wife. However, supernaturally speaking, Abram would become a father because his faith was placed on the living God, who has immeasurable power. The hope became a reality through the birth of Isaac the inheritor of the promise. Then after Isaac, all of humanity was blessed by the birth of Christ within this family of promise. Today with confidence we can follow the examples given by many biblical figures. “I do not have space to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Joseph, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle against foreign armies. They were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what was promised. God had planned something better for us; so that only together with us it would be made perfect.”18

What did God reserve for us? The reply to this important question is written in scripture. The scriptures declare;” Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”19 Jesus Christ is God’s best, reserved for every one of us today. Through the work of the Holy Spirit; he is the Lord that is living in our hearts. In order for this to happen, we must “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”20 __________________________________ 1512:4 16Ro.4:17-22 17Ro.4:18 18He.11:33-34, 39-40 1912:1-2 (Dios Habla Hoy Versión) 2012:2