The joy of the Lord is forever

Thu, 15 Sep 2022

‘Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!’ John 13:17

Jesus summed up His teaching on happiness this way: ‘Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!’ The Bible gives us three keys that are vital to happiness.

(1) Be content (see 1 Timothy 6:. A man who tried everything to get rid of dandelions called a garden centre and asked, ‘What can I try next?’ The shop owner said, ‘Try getting used to them!’ In life, you get what you focus on. Paul writes, ‘Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.’ (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

(2) Be grateful (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Look around and be grateful for what God has given you. And if you can’t, thank Him for what He has protected you from. The devil doesn’t have to steal anything from you, just make you take it for granted. ‘From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.’ (John 1:16 NLT).

(3) Learn to appreciate your loved ones. ‘Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.’ (1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT) George Eliot wrote: ‘Oh… the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.’