How to Be Happy

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”—Matthew 5:6

Happiness is something that most people today are seeking. In fact, happiness is so much a part of the American mindset that it is actually included in our Declaration of Independence, which says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

But what is this happiness that so many Americans are pursuing? Philosopher Eric Hoffer wrote, “The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.” I believe there is truth in that statement. You can actually become a very unhappy person as you attempt to become a happy one. Someone else once wrote, “There are two sources of unhappiness in life. One is not getting what you want. The other is getting it.”

But the Bible gives a completely different view of happiness than this world provides. According to Scripture, happiness is never something that should be sought directly; it is the result of seeking something else. If we seek holiness, we will find happiness. To be happy or blessed is not based on circumstances. It is a deep supernatural experience of contentedness based on the fact that one’s life is right with God.- Greg Laurie

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

CONSECRATION

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.“1 Cor 6:19-20

     

The fact that we have been bought with a price, not with corruptible things, as silver or gold, but with the precious Blood of Christ, lies at the foundation of all consecration (1Pe 1:18). In consecration we do not make ourselves Christ’s but recognize that we are His by an unalienable right. In the slave market human beings were sold like cattle; but this institution is set forth as the first step in our devotion to the service and person of Jesus Christ, the Lord who bought us. Slaves pass from one master to another. Among the Hebrews an Israelite would sometimes sell himself into slavery until the year of Jubilee, or until one of his kinsmen redeemed him (Lev 25:47-50). So our Kinsman, Christ, bought us back from sin and guilt and condemnation; He says, as He buys us: “Ye shall be for Me, ye shall not be for another.”

Our Lord’s claim upon us is built on His own supreme sacrifice. “He gave Himself for us,” says the Apostle Paul, “that He might redeem us from all iniquity” (Tit 2:14). He gave Himself up to the Death of the Cross, that we might reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin. The Apostles constantly speak of themselves as “the slaves of Jesus Christ.” Oh, that we might all live like this, counting nothing as our exclusive possession, but believing that all we have has been given to us to use in trust for our Lord and Master. He assigns to us each and all the work that we can do best. Some are called to work for Him in the high places of the Church, and others to toil in lowly obscurity, but everything is important in the great House of the Master, and all He requires is faithful service. I shall never forget when I first entered into the realization of the Ownership of my Lord; that I was His chattel, and had no longer any option or choice for one’s enjoyment or emolument. The life which was commenced then has been one of perfect freedom, for this is the enigma of His service, that Christ’s slaves are alone free; and that the more absolutely they obey Him, the more completely do they drink of the sweet cup of liberty!

O Lord, I give myself to Thee. I am born to serve Thee, to be Thine, to be Thy instrument. I ask not to see–I ask not to know–I ask simply to be used. Amen.- F. B. Meyer

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT ENDURE

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
   James 1:12

   God pronounces a blessing on those who endure tribulations and trials.  Facing hardship is as much a part of life as victories and rejoicing are.  There are no exemptions from trials in this pilgrimage.  We are going to face difficulties and travel through stormy weather in this journey.  We cannot decide if we are going to have trials; we can only decide how we will behave in them.  

   There are things we can be certain of during our times of testing.  We can know that God permits them, knowing full well the limits of our endurance.  We can also know that with every temptation, there will be a sufficient portion of God’s grace available to enable us to walk through it for His glory.  It may seem, at times, that we will not be able to bear up under the pressure of our trials, but we must remember that the God who is our strength will see us through.  

   This promised blessing is only for the man who suffers, but also for the person who endures suffering with love and grace.  God is vitally interested in the manner in which we go through our problems.  It is not enough that we simply survive our adversities.  Some people who manage to get through their dark valleys are hardened and bitter as a result of the path they have trod.  Above all, we should strive to glorify God in these temptations.  

   Our text places our love for the Savior in the same context as our endurance.  Surely, this is no coincidence.  Our love for God motivates us to please Him in all things.  Our appreciation for all that Jesus endured for our sakes should give us incentive to endure hardship for His sake.  Thank God He did not falter on His way to the cross.  A crown of life is promised to those who faithfully endure temptations.  It is neither the famous nor successful saint who will be rewarded in that great day, but the faithful.  

   Let us not faint nor murmur in the face of problems, but rather endure patiently.  A crown of life awaits us.  Trials have a way of seeming to go on forever, but in reality, they are so brief compared to the eternal reward.  We should not grow weary in our times of testing and temptation.  Eternal blessedness awaits those who glorify God through the trials of life.– Thomas Smith

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346