Muggeridge – “I’ve never met a rich man who was happy, but I have only very occasionally met a poor man who did not want to become a rich man.”
Psalm 1:1-6 ESV –
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Happiness Begins with Expectations.
Happiness is God’s will—but it’s not inevitable
Ecclesiastes 1:2-4 ESV –
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever
Psalm 37:4 ESV – Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 16:11 ESV – in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 1:1, says, Blessed is the man…
Matthew 5:3-10
Blessed are the poor in spirit….
Blessed are those who mourn….
Blessed are the meek….
Looking for Happiness in All the Wrong Places
Conditions or Roots?
Psalm 1:3 ESV –
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
When you get older, you don’t get any smarter; your happy meals just get more expensive.—John Ortberg
Happiness is the experience of pleasure and the lack of pain. Actions which do not promote the greatest happiness are morally wrong. –Jeremy Bentham
Psalm 1:1 ESV –
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
Psalm 1:2 ESV – but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV – In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV – Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Joy is an“unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” – C.S. Lewis
James 1:2-4 ESV – Count it all joy, …when you meet trials of various kinds,
Happiness is discovered indirectly—not directly
Matthew 6:33 ESV – But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 16:25 ESV – For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Happiness is not something that you can find, acquire, or achieve directly.
You have to get the conditions right and then wait.
Some of those conditions are within you, such as coherence among the parts and levels of your personality.
Other conditions require relationships to things beyond you: Just as plants need sun, water, and good soil to thrive, people need love, work, and a connection to something larger.
It is worth striving to get the right relationships between yourself and others, between yourself and your work, and between yourself and something larger than yourself. If you get these relationships right, a sense of purpose and meaning will emerge.”
Jonathan Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis
The keys to happiness
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
“He who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only.” – C.S Lewis
Happiness is a Choice
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves” – Shakespeare (Julius Caesar)
Philippians 4:4 ESV – Rejoice in the Lord, always. I will say it again, Rejoice.
The Choice to be Grateful
Philippians 4:6 ESV – …do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV – We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
The Choice to Keep Your Eyes On Eternity
Psalm 1:1-2,6 ESV –
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Hebrews 12:2-3 ESV – fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV – eWe look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
The Choice to Keep Your Eyes On Serving Others
“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.” – J.M Barrie
Matthew 16:25 ESV – Jesus said, For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
