A podcast listener named Morgan in Simi Valley, California writes in to ask this, "Pastor John, I often hear pastors say that the most important part of the Christian life is obedience to God's Word, not happiness. It seems to me that you place a greater emphasis on being satisfied in God.

When it comes to obedience to God and being satisfied in God, which comes first, the chicken or the egg?" There are three answers to this question. And I love this question. I could talk about it all day. Here's my first answer. As long as you think of obedience to God and satisfaction in God as chicken and egg, you won't be able to answer the question in a biblical way.

Satisfaction in God does not relate to obedience to God as chicken and egg. Satisfaction in God relates to obedience to God as chicken to fowl. Obedience is the general term, fowl. I'm sorry. Obedience is the general term, fowl, right? And satisfaction in God is the specific kind of fowl, namely chicken.

So this is the main problem. And pastors or anyone else says, "Obedience to God is the most important thing in life, not happiness in God." That's like saying birds are the most important thing in life, not robins. Or fruit is the most important thing, not apples. Or bombers are the most important thing, airplanes in the war, not B-52s.

A robin is a bird and an apple is a fruit and a B-52 is a bomber and happiness in God is obedience to God. You can't contrast obedience to God and happiness in God as alternatives. So this is clear. What is obedience? Obedience is doing what God says, right?

Keeping his commandments. Well, commandment, "Rejoice in the Lord always." And again, I will say, "Rejoice." Therefore, joy in the Lord is obedience. Commandment, "Delight yourself in the Lord." Psalm 37.4. Therefore, delight in the Lord is obedience. Commandment, "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy all you upright in heart." Psalm 32.

Therefore, gladness in the Lord is obedience. So that's the first answer. Satisfaction in God and obedience to God do not relate as chicken to egg, but as chicken to fowl. Satisfaction in God is a kind of obedience. Here's answer number two. They're shorter. But more than likely, when a pastor says, "The most important part of the Christian life is obedience to God's Word, not happiness," he probably means happiness in this world, happiness in things, happiness in marriage or money or health or fame or success.

And he's right. He's right. Happiness in general is not the goal of life. Happiness in God is the goal of life. In God. That is, making God our supreme treasure and pleasure is the goal of life. And doing that may cost us dearly. That's what he's getting at. It may cost us dearly so that many forms of happiness in this world are sacrificed.

That's answer number two. Finally, number three. Joy in God really is a kind of chicken that lays lots of eggs of obedience. We're circling around to qualify our first answer. Joy in God really is a chicken and it lays lots of eggs of obedience. Yes, joy is an egg.

But once the obedience of joy in God hatches in the human soul, it is powerful in producing all kinds of other obedience. So, for example, Hebrews 10, 34, "You had compassion on those in prison and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property." You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

So the joy of knowing that God is our great reward freed them to visit Christians in prison and suffer for it. So, yes, joy produces acts of obedience. So here are my three answers. Number one, satisfaction in God is not less than obedience to God because it is obedience to God.

Number two, obedience to God, namely happiness in God, is vastly more important than happiness in anything else. And so pastors are right if that's what they're saying. And number three, the obedience of satisfaction in God produces all kinds of other acts of obedience. Amen. Thank you, Pastor John. So satisfaction in God is obedience to God and it fuels our further obedience.

So a question that gets asked often is, "So then how can I approach God with a heart that is weary, beaten down, broken down, and joyless?" A podcast listener named Zach asked the question and we will hear Pastor John's response tomorrow. I'm your host Tony Reinke. Thanks for listening to the Ask Pastor John podcast.