We need to separate in our minds the prospect of being miserable and going through suffering, because they are two very different things. Suffering for Christ always has a purpose, while every other kind of temporary pain and sorrow you will come across in this life will only follow you to the grave.
"God is a good God. He created life, and He wants us to live that life
to the fullest. There's nothing in the Bible that suggests God doesn't
want you to enjoy anything....The way people talk about Christianity,
you'd think there was a verse where Jesus says,'If you follow Me, you
must be miserable forever, hate everything, and drag others down with
you.' While He does call us to some difficult things, a miserable eternity is not one of them." ~Trip Lee
You can be completely joyful, happy and satisfied in knowing and following Christ, unlike popular opinion. I think that most people see Christianity as a commitment to the boring, do-good, "Mommy's Kid" lifestyle, but only because they have never experienced the kind of joy that you can find in being in a relationship with Jesus.
"[God is] not trying to block our joy and leave us in the dark. He intends to enhance our joy, to give us fullness of joy. He wants us to enjoy life as it was meant to be enjoyed." ~Trip Lee
To the unbelievers: if there is even the possibility of finding joy in knowing Jesus and being confident in your final destination, wouldn't it be worth it? Trust me when I say that the joy the world offers is not even comparable to the joy of Christ, regardless of whether or not you believe in Him. Life without God can seem good sometimes, like watching a movie on Netflix, but the life God offers is much better. God offers 3D, High Definition, Big Screen Motion Pictures!
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so
that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. ~Romans 15:13 (ESV)
To the believer: following worldly passions always leads to nowhere. Look for the joy that God offers in all areas of your life, and ask Him to enhance it in every way possible, conveying it to others along the way.
"God's revelatory manifestation of
Himself in creation, in providence, in Scripture, and pre-eminently in
the face of His Son, Jesus Christ, is designed to evoke within the
breathtaking delight and incomparable joy of which God alone is worthy.
Beauty is that in God which makes Him eminently desirable and attractive
and quickens in the soul a realization that it was made for a different
world." ~Sam Storms
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