How to be Happy
Most people are searching for happiness, but they are not finding it, because they are looking in all the wrong places. We will never find happiness in our relationships with other people, because people will fail us in many ways. If we are depending on relationships for our well-being, we will just end up in a harmful co-dependent relationship, which will harm us, not help us. Others are trying to be happy by having all sorts of experiences. The problem is that kind of happiness is fleeting. It goes away as fast as it came. Many think that money can buy them happiness, only to find out that happiness doesn't come from the things money can buy. That is why so many wealthy people are miserable. So, what is the key to happiness? The psalmist is right once again. (Psalm 146:5) Happy is the one whose help is in the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God. Stop and consider this truth for a minute, because it is profound.
When we need help with anything, where do we turn first? The answer to that questions shows us where we put our trust. God is the Only One who can help us with anything and always do it the right way for us and for the situation. When we think and act in the proper ways, happiness will be the result. If we are trying all kinds of other things before we go to the Lord, we cause all kinds of heartache which is not necessary. Also, we are happy people when we look to God for our hope. That means we have the confidence that we know Jesus, and He is going to make everything work out well for us in this life and the next, if we will walk with Him in faith each day. That hope gives us security, and security brings us happiness. Now, notice two more things. This is true only for those who trust the God of Jacob, the God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the full manifestation of the God of Jacob. Also, God wants us to have much more than happiness. He will give us abundant joy on top of the happiness, as we know Him and allow the Spirit to produce His fruit in us.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 147-149.