YOU CAN BE HAPPY IF...

     God wants you to be happy and you will be happy if you trust and obey His will. "Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified." (Psalms 40:16) When I think of the wonderful land in which we live and the abundant blessings and freedoms we enjoy, it is difficult to understand why there is so much unhappiness. Jesus tell us that our happiness is the result of having our minds filled with a right understanding of what matters and having our hearts set on spiritual things. The Bible is God's instruction book on how to be happy.

     You can be happy if you will allow God to correct and mold your life. As you allow God to mold your life you will be quick to recognize the harm done by alcohol, other drugs, fornication, gambling and all dishonesty. Keep yourself pure and allow God to correct your life. "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects..." (Job 5:17)

     You can be happy if you build a strong Christian family. Your family view should be to marry a Christian and raise faithful, godly children. Children are like arrows in the hand of a mighty man. If we train our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord we will be truly happy as we see them going to heaven and changing their world as they go. "Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them..." (Psalm 127:5)

     You can be happy if you will work and not be lazy and sorry. We will not be truly happy until we are productive in life. God said that if a person would not work neither should he eat! When we work with our hands and eat of our labor we can truly be happy. The lazy and indifferent will never be happy. "Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you." (Psalm 128:1-2)

     You can be happy if you depend upon God for strength. Life is not always easy. At times it will seem that life has tumbled in on you. We need God as our help and strength. The truly happy per­son is the person that has God for his help. "Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God." (Psalm 146:5)

     True happiness depends on our relationship with God. "Whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he." (Proverbs 16:20) As we walk with God, trusting Him completely, showing mercy on our fellowman and extending love to others we obtain true happiness! (Mark 16:16, Revelation 2:10)

By, Charles Box, Walnut Street Church of Christ, 306 Walnut Street,