JUST ONE THING CAN FOREVER MAKE YOU HAPPY

(Five-minute reading time)

The queen of Sheba to King Solomon: “Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom” (2 Chronicles 9:7). Solomon’s wisdom was from the LORD.

Notice in the title above, “one thing can make you happy,” not that it always will. I’ll say more about that as we go forward. It is said that Happiness is in the mind and is a choice we make. True, but it is not quite as simple as it sounds because, first,specific requirements must be met. There are two kinds of Happiness, and they are opposite in nature. First, there is External Happiness, a temporal, fleeting feeling resulting from happenstance or based on circumstances. When circumstances are good, it results in temporal Happiness. For example, if you are walking down the street and find $20 lying on the sidewalk, you experience a shot of Happiness; on the other hand, losing $20 works the opposite. Second, there is Internal Happiness, better termed as joy, which is based on an internal, selfless, sacrificial, and spiritual relationship with Holy God. Obviously, only those who experience a spiritual connection with God through faith in Jesus Christ experience this kind of lasting, internal Happiness, which is the only true happiness in this life on earth.

On the Internet, there are articles which lists three to a hundred things that lead to Happiness. They are right in terms of External Happiness; External Happiness requires favorable circumstances to produce it. In other words, if you can control, to some extent, the things that happen to you by doing certain things, you can experience a degree of Happiness, but in any case, External Happiness is always temporal and fleeting.

On the other hand, Internal Happiness does not depend on circumstances, is static, and never changes. The Psalmist gives us the secret to Inner Happiness: “Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. 6He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—he remains faithful forever” (Psalm 146:5-6). The key to Happiness is a personal relationship with the Lord our God, who created the universe and always keeps His Word. That is a pretty basic way to achieve lasting and eternal Happiness. As I said in the beginning, the keywords are “can make you Happy.” What does that mean? It means you can have the one thing that can make you happy and still not claim it in your life. Some of the unhappiest people I’ve known have a relationship with God; at least, they say they do, yet they never show it. Unfortunately, the world’s view of the unhappy Christians is often right on: Angry, long-faced, are forever disillusioned and defensive, whether over current politics or the infringement of their rights; they certainly are not the example of what a faithful Christian should project. God is not an unhappy God; since we are made in His image, neither are we to be unhappy.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I know there are unhappy times in life; no one is ever happy at losing a loved one, friend, or any other loss. But even during those times, there remains an internal assurance that God is with us, which alone is a source of joy. When we as believers consider all the things God has done for us or is doing for us, it has to bring us joy. For instance, the most remarkable thing on earth is eternal life, which is only known by those who have a relationship with God.

Francis de Sales, the bishop of Geneva from 1567–1622, said, “I cannot understand why those who have given themselves up to God and his goodness are not always cheerful; for what possible Happiness can be equal to that? No accidents or imperfections which may happen ought to have power to trouble them, or to hinder their looking upward.” When we get our eyes off God and on ourselves and our troubles, we lose sight of joy.

Think about it: Everything we face presently, whether good or bad is temporal and fleeting, and yet we sometimes make such a big issue of them; therefore, they dull our vision of our Heavenly Father. When we experience and reflect our Happiness, it proclaims God’s presence in our lives and His work within us. When we fail to visualize Him and His presence, the less Happiness, and joy we experience. The Apostle Paul did not always experience good times. Most of the time, he was undergoing hardship. Still, through it all, he said, “Again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). Most of us have failed at least sometimes to accept the biblical revelation that we can be consistently Happy in God. When others see the Happiness and joy in us, it is one of our most significant ways to influence them to want a relationship with God.

John Piper said, “If you ask me, ‘Doesn’t the world need to see Christians as happy in order to know the truth of our faith and be drawn to the great Savior?’ my answer is ‘Yes, yes, yes!’ And they need to see that our Happiness is the indomitable work of Christ in the midst of our sorrow.” While we will never be able to escape the sorrow, suffering, and troubles in life, we can always experience the joy of God’s presence and His help.

Finally, why can believers in Jesus Christ be happy? Here are just a few reasons:

• God saved them specifically and individually and gave them eternal life in Heaven, and He is waiting for them to be with Him and His holy angels. 
• God gave them salvation that is eternal, secure, incorruptible, undefiled, and will never fade away.
• They have the Bible to guide them and help them in all situations including their happiness. 
• They have enough just in God’s promises (they are not all listed here by any means) to be happy and stay happy. They should keep believers going through whatever they have to face in this life. 

Conclusion

Happiness is a blessing and is important, but it needs to be said that the most crucial thing in this life is not being Happy; in essence, it is not about us. The most important thing is doing our best to glorify God by how we live and by our obedience and commitment to Him as we wait for our orders to ship out to Heaven to be with Him for all eternity.

If you have never experienced Internal Happiness and want to claim it in your life, I would like to show you from the Bible how you can own it along with eternal life. Just CLICK HERE. God Bless.

A humble request of you?

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© 2022 Jimmie Burroughs. All rights reserved (This article is free to use on other websites if the URL of this website is included.)

Tags: Happiness, Joy, God, Solomon, Heaven, Eternal Life, Relationship with God

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http://jimmieburroughs.com/2022/11/does-God-predestine-some-to-hell-and-some-to-heaven/