“Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of” (Resolution 22).
Last time I tried to set out that to desire and seek the glory of God for all eternity actually requires man to seek his own happiness in the other world, though that must not be his primary goal. One must recognize that the greatest commandment is to love God with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength. All that I do must flow from love for God. However, in seeking God with all of my being I find my created purpose and my greatest joy and happiness. But how is one to do that and how does that influence our happiness now?
In order to have true happiness now one must live for true happiness in eternity. All that God has provided for His people now is really but a foretaste of things to come. In order to pursue things in eternity one must pursue them now and for eternity. Eternity must influence what we do now or we spoil both now and eternity. Let us imagine that God desires to express or communicate His glory through human beings. They must begin to love His glory in some way as He loves His glory (be holy as I am holy) in this life so that they can be filled with it for eternity. God expresses or communicates His own glory to and in man in this life but in eternity it will be more fully expressed.
Clearly, then, what we do now has a major influence on our happiness and joy for eternity.
How are we to obtain for ourselves as much happiness in the other world as we possibly can? In one sense we must see that it is not really something we obtain for ourselves, but it is all by grace. We are to pursue these things by the strength that grace gives and not by selfish reasons. The way to pursue eternal joy is to pursue God right now with all that we have at the moment praying for more grace to pursue Him even more. There is no real distinction between seeking God and seeking to glorify His name. We must pray for grace to give us more and more holy desires in order to seek God and His glory more and more.
Another issue here is that of justification. When God justifies a person He has punished Christ for all of that person’s sins so that there is not one sin left for that person to suffer for. When God justifies a person He gives that person a perfect righteousness in Christ so that there is no one iota of righteousness that the person needs to earn to enter heaven and the presence of God. Therefore, as Jesus taught, one cup of cold water given in His name will not lose its reward” (Matthew 10:42). Since heaven has already been fully and perfectly earned on behalf of His people, all that a believer does out of love for God or for His name’s sake will be rewarded. So to pursue eternal happiness is to pursue the glory of God in this world and to do all things for His name’s sake. Believers should be given to good works for the glory of His name (Mat 5:16) but knowing that the glory of the God they love is being displayed and in that the believer is happy.
Let us look at this from another angle. Believers are the temple of God and His glory now. It is not that the believer can do something in his own strength that will draw out the glory of God and put it on display, but it is the grace of God dwelling in the believer that shines through the believer. In this way the believer shares in the divine nature (II Peter 1:4). To seek His glory is to share in His divine life which love and joy are part of. We seek His glory out of love and yet because He is our greatest love His glory displayed is our greatest joy. We are to love His glory in us and delight to see His glory shine through us. When we experience His glory (beauty of His attributes) it brings us great joy because it is sharing in His joy. When we see His glory displayed in the world that delights our soul as well because He is our greatest love.
John 17:26 is key to understanding one aspect of this: “and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” It is in knowing God that the love that Christ was loved with will be in us. We must also remember that eternal life is to know God (John 17:3) and we know that is not apart from His love and joy. The believer must pursue God with the violence that Edwards spoke about so that the believer may experience eternal life both now and in eternity. Eternal life is really Christ Himself and the love He was loved with and the joy He had are found in knowing God. We know God by loving Him and pursuing the delight of His glory, knowing that it will be ever increasing for all eternity. We pursue knowing Him by pursuing His glory which because we love Him we delight to see it displayed.
God Loves... Himself 
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