What else is "people" to you?
Our best interest is in line with following God since he can do anything for us. Think of it as a bribe but a good kind. Oh wait, that's called a reward.... Heaven
Following God's path is only good for God.
Also, there's passages expressly saying that you shouldn't be a Christian just for the prizes, for the bribe. Your using this to peddle people towards your path is actually you selling them towards the flames.
Overall it is for the good of the entire universe as God is all wise.
No, it's only for His own idea of good, and I believe it was from your holy texts, not mine, that Wisdom has been construed to be meaningless (in Ecclesiastes)?
Ecclesiastes 1:14: “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” The key phrase is under the sun, which is repeated throughout the book. Solomon is sharing an earth-bound perspective. He is only considering life “under the sun”; that is, a human life lived to the exclusion of any consideration of God. From that godless perspective, everything is indeed “meaningless.” Without God, human wisdom is meaningless (2:14–16); labor (2:18–23); amassing things (2:26); life itself (3:18–22); competition (4:4); selfish overwork (4:7–8); power and authority (4:16); greed (5:10); wealth and accolades (6:1–2); and perfunctory religion (8:10–14).
God commends the spiritually wise.
It's not wisdom nor experience if it's only through reading a book, and wisdom in the traditional sense is dashed to the side by "God's People" as a distraction.
The book horribly misuses the word when it comes to His path, as it's actually a lack of wisdom that makes for a more "true" convert.
That's the big picture. Following God is not at odds with personal happiness either.
Why should the big picture matter to small people?
Lol
For real though, especially with how few people he's actually going to allow into Heaven, why sweat this stuff?
It'd be easier to get 1st chair in a professional orchestra than go to Heaven.
There's a common quote in church "The chief end of man is to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever".
...yet he doesn't want you to follow him in the name of salvation or it's prizes, just sheer obedience.
Fucking slave religions man, they're designed so that you never feel like you're doing a good enough job unless your head's up your own ass.Sheer love. Love is fun and is the ultimate happiness.
Love can be found without God, but not without Nature.
He's eternally wise, creative, and potent.
Timelessness is very different from being merely eternal, and from the looks of things God's sense of "creativity" is heavily dwarfed by Satan's.
Compare Christian Rock to Death Metal and you'll see what I mean.
God and Satan sometimes want the same thing but different outcomes. God wants a good outcome with you. The devil wants you to suffer with him.
God doesn't understand the human condition, he can't even understand what our perspective of time is other than through his Jesus proxy.
Satan meanwhile does experience time like we do, albeit immortally. He's far more human than God, and thereby much more relatable.
Why change for someone else?
Not all rock I listen to is Christian. Some is romance rock.
That's likely sinful in some form, you ought to stop before it gives you ideas.
The difference is sin brings fleeting highs of pleasure but God brings happiness. God and happiness go hand in hand.
Happiness can come from way more things than just God's path.
Not the kind of happiness that is regardless of circumstance. Lasting inner peace.
Peace without my humanity intact is no different than desiring a lobotomy.