Don’t Worry… Be Happy!

It was an upbeat song with an upbeat message.

While there was no theological message intended in the song, I think we Christians could take a lesson from the concept it employs.

This song’s concept of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!” should be the desire and experience of every Christian.

In the world of Psychology, the psychologist divides mankind’s personalities into four temperaments.

Every one of us falls into one of these four categories. In fact, some might have two of these personalites.

Let me read this list to you and as I do you probably will began to recognize people who have these different temperaments. Perhaps you might recognize yourself.

1. Choleric - easily irritated; inclined to anger; These have a short fuse and the least little thing sets them off.

2. Phlegmatic - hard to rouse to action; specifically sluggish; dull; apathetic; calm; cool.

3. Melancholic - one affected with a gloomy state of mind; one characterized by excessive gloom, mistrust and depression.

4. Sanguine - cheerful; optimistic; hopeful.

Let me show you from God’s Word HOW YOU CAN BECOME A HAPPY CHRISTIAN.

First, let’s look at…

I.OUR ASSOCIATION

Who we associate with has much to do with if we are going to be a happy Christian or not.

• Someone said, “Evil influence is like a nicotine patch, you cannot help but absorb what sticks to you.”

• Someone else said “Announcing the intended arrival of some people is kind of like issuing a hurricane warning. ”

• Patricia Highsmith said, “He seems to be making you that way too - enough to tolerate people like him. And once you start tolerating them, you're going to end up being like them yourself.”

Illus: In the coal mines of West Virginia you can sign up for a tour into a coal mine.

One morning a group was ready to make the tour when the tour guide notice one woman had a beautiful white dress.

He said, “Lady, that is a beautiful white dress but I can assure you when you come out of this coal mine your dress will not be a beautiful white dress.”

The world in which we live is filled with filth of all kinds and we have to be careful not to allow it to rub off on us.

God’s Word warns us many times not to associate with bad company.

Illus: A farmer, seeing a lot of crows picking up seed he had sown in a field, took his shotgun and fired at them. All the birds flew away except one that lay wounded on the ground.

Going to the wounded bird, the farmer discovered that it was his own talking pet parrot. It had gotten out of its cage and flown with the crows in the field. Its wing was broken from the shot.

Picking it up, the farmer said, "Polly, this is what happens from keeping bad company."

He put the wounded parrot under his arm and headed back to the house. As he neared the house, his little girl ran out to meet him. She said, "Have you shot any crows?"

The farmer replied, "I have shot Polly." And before he could tell his little girl what happened, Polly piped up and said, "Bad company. Bad company."

Bad company have cost some people their lives, and has literally imprisoned literally thousands.

Listen, Paul warns Christians even about bad company in the church.

1 Corinthians 5:11 “…I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat.

It is impossible to be a HAPPY CHRISTIAN if you associate with people who is constantly draining the life out of you.

WHY HAS AMEICAN BECOME SUCH A WICKED NATION?

It has not always been a wicked nation!!!

It is because we associate with the ungodly people.

Illus: That is, people set in their homes and day after day watching all of this ungodliness on television being pumped into them twenty four hours a day, hate, lying, rebelliousness, murder, adultery wondering why our society is so ungodly.

Day after day they spend hours and hours each day with the SCUM OF THE EARTH from Hollywood. GUESS WHAT? THEY HAVE BECOME JUST LIKE THE ONES THEY ARE SPENDING TIME WITH EACH DAY.

We become like those we associate with!!!

Ungodliness does not lead to a life of happiness.

Psalms 1: Blessed (Happy) is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers:

If you associate with:

• Liars you will soon become a liar

• Gossipers you will soon become a gossiper