Happiness is Scriptural

This Sunday will be the last meeting of our church. We’re having a celebration, sharing time with each other, remembering good things, praising God. I know we’ll cry, but we will find joy.

For our last month together our pastor Todd used the time to study two very important Bible topics, humility and happiness.

Happiness is Scriptural, spiritual. It’s okay for us to desire to be happy. God is happy, with himself, his creation, his people. He is the source of all happiness.

Todd said there are at least two thousand times happiness or a synonym is mentioned in the bible—pleasure, contentment, satisfaction, well-being, joy.

People need to see a smile on our faces, hear it in our voices. We don’t need to be so serious.

Happiness is not shallow.

Of course there are hard times, but Paul wrote about joy from prison in Philippians, and Zephaniah did during hard times for Israel. We can be happy because of our knowledge of God and what he’s done for us. We need to let what we know in our hearts show up on our faces as a witness to people in the world.

Zephaniah 3:17: The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

Genesis 1:31: God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Psalm 4:7: You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.

Todd said the word for happiness in that verse was like a festival!

We need to stay close to God, the source of happiness, like backing up to a fire to keep warm. Todd told a funny story about that, but I won’t share it. You’ll have to ask him.

Psalm 16: 11: You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Fullness of joy, not just a little bit.

Philippians 4:4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Paul thought it was so important, he repeated it. In this verse and throughout Philippians.

1 Timothy 6: 6, 17: But godliness with contentment is great gain. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Be careful not to let the devil steal our joy.

John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 15:11-12: I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Psalm 32:1 Blessed (Happy) is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Another thief of happiness is worry.

Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

Todd told us about happiness habits.

Thanking God. Specifically about the things around us, in our house, in our days.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances,

for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Stay in God’s word daily; stay close to the source of happiness.

Giving to others; encouragement, financially, everyday help.

Acts 20:35: In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”