A Formula for Happiness: From the Bible! Kelly Durant
Psalm 146:5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
2. Don’t you love happy people? People who can laugh despite the awkward or uncomfortable position they might be in? I lost a front tooth last week, one of the implants, and I looked like a hillbilly with a big missing front tooth! (Thank God the dentist is fixing it and temp one is in now). I felt like the old woman who only had two teeth but she said, “I thank the good Lord, that at least they meet!”
In all honesty, we will never be fully happy in life because this broken world is not our home, we are just passing through. John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Peace of spirit is a good thing!
I believe we can make the best of it though! We can be happy trusting that God will take care of us. Happiness is a state of contentment, and we can choose to be content no matter what conditions we are in. Paul did (see Philippians 4:11) It does not matter if we are rich or poor, no matter the temporary situation, we know God can make our hearts be light as we trust Him because “we know all things work together for good , for them that trust in the Lord”, Romans 8:28
3. We must have certain conditions to be happy though. One condition is in reference to the verse of today and that is that we have the “God of Jacob for our help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God”. The God of Jacob is Jehovah, the father of Jesus (we must specify who is our God!) and what will make us happy? To have hope in Him!
Having hope in God, which is connected to faith, means we expect a good outcome for all matters, and we get them. We are the most optimistic people on earth as we believe that no matter how bad the situation is, or how great the need, or how discouraging and depressing things are, God will come through with a positive response.
And why will He answer us? Because we love Him and He loves us! We are his children and in the end He is the one who takes care of us and comes through with all of His great promises.
4. The next item for happiness is that we must love God’s word in order to gain wisdom. Proverbs 3:13 ‘Happy is the man (implies all) that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding.’ We gain wisdom and understanding, which gives us a more peaceful state of mind knowing we are pleasing God.
Proverbs 29:18 ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.’ So when we grow in understanding of God’s wisdom, it gives us a vision, a purpose, a life that is worth living, and we learn of His law, or of the values and vision of God.
By keeping God’s law, or living in obedience, we become happy. Jesus taught us the total essence of the law, to love God and others, but Jesus also wanted us to obey all His commands which includes hearing His words and obeying them, which includes sharing the gospel of the eternal Kingdom of God with others. John 13:17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. Obedience to God brings on happiness!
5. Here is another condition for happiness, to earn your pay by honest living. Psalm 128:2 When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. God wants us blessed but it requires service, work, and generosity.
When you look at all of society and all the jobs of people, those who work a skill or a profession and reward their selves by a slow prosperity are the most happy. They live in peace because they got their means by honesty, integrity, and the sweat of their brow, which are the conditions we have to live with to survive while temporarily living on this earth.
Jesus said this concerning working for God, which is living by preaching, doing mission work, or serving in some Christ-like capacity those who are suffering, John 6:27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Jesus idea of work is to gain souls for heaven!
6. There are dozens of verses that speak on how God loves to see us happy. They may include having lots of children (Psalm 127:5), they include being happy when God corrects us (Job 5:17), and living with a guilt free coconscious because you choose God’s ways. (Romans 14:22).
There is so much beauty in God’s creation that just spending time praising God with nature can refresh you and make you feel good. Yet since we live in a fallen world, happiness and feeling good is a fleeting endeavor. The truth is we will always be up and down and feel all kinds of emotions in this life, but God wants us free from fear, worry, anxiety, and pain, and it only comes by trusting in Him.
Social media has upped the ante on what we feel (good and bad). My wife and I might feel very happy, say on a Sunday afternoon, because you, the people, actually sang and praised God with more of their heart, or you came forward to pray, or some one of you shared an inspiring testimony of something wonderful God did in your life. These things lift us up along with the hugs, smiles, and hearing of God’s word! But then the happiness might all leave when we see on Facebook that someone we loved died today, or read that Christians in some African country were killed again by fanatics. So when you feel good and happy, enjoy it to the max blocking out all the negative things you will deal with later.
7. Now, let’s look at this in reverse, what makes people in general so discontent, unhappy, and even aggressive and angry? Why do we see thousands of people who are eating well, who have enough clothing and even can afford bizarre costumes for protests, people who are living with freedoms to even sin as they please, be so vulgar, berserk, and mad at some strawman issue in the world? It is because they have not God! Without God people obsess over anything!
Look at Psalm 146:5 in reverse: Unhappy is he (she) who has NOT the God of Jacob for his help, Who has HOPELESSNESS without the Lord as his God. The reality of life is a majority of people do not reverence God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit! Not being connect to our “God of love” brings severe unhappiness!
The unwise people, out of pride, choose the vanity of being their own god (atheism) or chose a false god (a false religions or cult), and over time being carnal and stubborn may end up being governed by a demon entity because their pride, envy, rage, and hate obsess them to the point of mental, physical, and spiritual sickness! https://nypost.com/2016/06/09/science-says-liberal-beliefs-are-linked-to-pyschotic-traits/
8. And what about Proverbs 3:13 in reverse? ‘Unhappy is the man (all) that does NOT find wisdom, and the man that does NOT get understanding. Understanding and wisdom come from the Word of God, this is why Satan and his people fight against it so aggressively, they hate it and attack ferociously anyone who even mentions the Bible. I know because I have been attacked many times!
The misunderstanding and mis-wisdom of the people of the world originate from all of the Satanic, so called authentic or scientific, concepts such as what is taught in schools, colleges, and false places of worship (any and all religions). People have been brainwashed and they do not perceive it because they see so many others like their selves believing the same falsehoods, so for them they conclude they understand reality. But “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom”!
Daniel 12:4 B “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” People may think they are smart without needing God but knowledge is not an ultimate power because knowledge is continually being changed and updated. Many confuse the knowledge they have learned as wisdom, but they are very different. I read scientific journals and these people get very upset when someone counters their claims with new truths (evolution is almost totally discredited!) and I conclude people in all professions live divided, angry, and unhappy! Why? Because GOD is not included in their deductions and understandings of things!
9. And now Psalm 128:2 in reverse, ‘When you eat the labor of some else’s hands, You will be unhappy, and it will NOT be well with you’. The people of the world who scheme to get their income by lying and tricking people (telemarketers, sales of bad goods etc.) live unhappy knowing they are deceiving others. People who lie, those who cheat and lie to get help from government or charity systems, are never happy either. When you know you are con inside, you can’t escape the dirty feeling! And others, who have the discernment of God, see through it.
Gaining wealth or income by dishonest means has consequences. Drug dealers, prostitutes, and thieves, are people who always live in fear. They get poor physical and mental health because they fear retaliation from someone for a bad deal, they fear getting jailed by law enforcement, or they live with anxiety paranoid that friends will find them out and betray or reject them. And due to their repulsive sins, they do often end up all alone!
People doing illegal things, things condemned by God in the Bible, or just being lazy or deceptive displease God and those around them. Those who respect God get respect back and have respect for their selves, while schemers, tricksters, and deceivers always live unhappy, and like a ticking time bomb, they never know when everything is all going to fall apart on them!
10. Here is a good verse for us who serve in the Salvation Army, Proverbs 14:21 “He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.” We love God and our neighbors as ourselves! We also become happy because we do what we can to help our neighbors. We do not reject anyone or despise them, instead we show mercy on all. Serving, supplying, and loving others brings on happiness!
Today I hope you have learned these important ingredients in the formula for happiness;
1. To have God present in your life at every moment
2. To gain wisdom and understanding from God’s Word obeying it
3. To work honestly free from deceit enjoying what God has given you
Ecclesiastes 5:18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.
Everyone can be happy! But it takes Jesus love to transform and clean out our hearts from all the deceptions, carnality, and evil that stifles our happiness. We need God, love, wisdom, and a purpose serving others to live happy! Choose today to change your lifestyle formula so you will be happy. And another day I will tell you all about the extreme happiness you will gain in heaven after you die! Love and serve Jesus today!
