I just received this today .....
Lisa
Happy Is the People Whose God Is Jehovah!
- Dan Sydlik (Bethel Family) We can literally feel the happiness here. When we are happy we wish life would never end. Happiness isn't optional. Jehovah commands us to be happy. De 16:13-15. He say's you must rejoice. What is Happiness? It is the outward manifestation of the internal condition of joy that comes from a good heart. 1Tim 6:6 associates godliness with contentment. It comes from peace of mind and joy of heart. Happy are those people whose God is Jehovah. Are you happy for having Jehovah as our God? Happiness is a gift from Jehovah. It comes from Jehovah - a fruit of His spirit. He is the happy God and he wants us to be happy NOW, not in some distant future. Every day we should ask ourselves if we are happy. We will be if we have our life under control. We must have self discipline and self control. We must limit our fleshly desires instead of trying to satisfy them all (Col 3:2). Be happy at home alone or with family or friends, at Kingdom Hall with brothers, in service. Remember it's always very close to us. It isn't in things - a car, home, etc. It is inside of us. If our happiness is dependant on things or conditions, whom we are with, then an accident or tragedy can rob our happiness. It must come from within. Principle: Acts 20:35, supports the thought of happiness coming from with as when we are giving, being unselfish. What we possess, we can lose. Consider the example of a happy missionary. Satan entered; she became offended by her roommate. She refused to be happy any longer. She permitted small things in her life to grow in her mind. She lost her happiness Protect your happiness with all your might. Don't lose it. Don't let other people hold the key to our happiness as if we were plugged into them. Don't be robbed of your happiness by gossip, or by what others do, say or think. Don't let those things affect you. Once unhappiness enters into your life it's very hard to get it out. Important lesson: Learn to love what God gives you in life. We live in an imperfect world and calls for many adjustments. We are imperfect too and so is everyone else. Life is full of changes. Do you allow that to make you murmur and complain? Disappointments are everywhere on earth. Make the best of disappointing situations. Search for Jehovah. Happiness is up to you. It depends on what we do with our mind and our heart. Adjust our thinking. Nobody else can do this for us, we have to do it for ourselves with the help of God! Romans 12:2 Does it say Prove to God? NO! Prove to OURSELVES the good and perfect will of God. You don't have to prove it to God. Happiness is not dependant on where we are or with whom we are. But it is dependent on who we are before, that being GOD. It's not just knowing, it's doing! Be a doer of the Word. Happiness isn't so much doing what we like, but liking what we do. It's not being where you like, but liking where you are. It's not having what you like, but liking what you have! Enjoy where we are and who we are. Make the best of every situation. That's being Christ like. For the joy set before him he endured a torture stake. Despite whatever troubles come in life we can still be happy. Many have endured great hardships, natural disasters, lost all their worldly goods, yet happy. Why? Because happiness has to do with your frame of mind and heart. A joyful heart and a mind at peace with God- the peace that excels all thought - those things being true then how happy we should be! To think that we have Jehovah as our God. Happy is the nation whose God is Jehovah. Ask ourselves. What are we doing with our lives? To do your will I have delighted! David rejoiced! Take your concordance and look up "happy" and "happiness". See what it says! True happiness is closely linked to relationship with God. Happy are those taking refuge in you, who make Jehovah their trust, whose strength is in Jah, who fear Jehovah, who walk in the laws of Jehovah, who search for Him with all their heart. Happiness and God go hand in hand. Remember always: There's no true and lasting happiness outside of Jehovah's Organization. No where does the Bible say that happiness depends on a good job. Why not? Because physical things do not bring lasting joy and happiness. It has to come from within. True happiness is linked with the thoughts of God. We should be spending a lot of time in Bible reading. Do so Daily. Think about what you read. When you are all alone, these thoughts will be good company (Ps 139:17) Are we thinking about Jehovah daily? That will bring us happiness. Consider an experience of a sister who lost her husband. Was lonely, depressed, the brother counseling her told her she should do two things: (1) Think more about Jehovah. Pray at least15 minutes every morning, talking to Jehovah early in the morning and again at least 15 minutes every evening Make the time. Wake up earlier. Hard to do for her, but it brought her the greatest happiness in her life. It costs nothing, and it brings joy of heart and peace of mind. Learn to talk to Jehovah. (2) Learn to care less about yourself and more about others. Go out in service - give of yourself and you will find happiness. That is the remedy for depression and loneliness. Don't worry so much about yourself! Why? Because that is being self-centered. When we are self-centered we make ourselves the center of focus of our life. We want to please ourselves and have others please us and so we open the door to unhappiness. "Even Christ did not please himself." Pride, selfishness or arrogance fed by our own vanity these are signs that our spirituality is suffering. We have lost contact with Jehovah's thoughts. Redouble our efforts to draw closer to Jehovah. Make a close examination of our heart and mind. Something is not right. Test whether you are in the Faith. Prove what you are. Check your mental attitude, your views on things about Jehovah, His Word, His organization. Find out where you are out of line. Cleanse me from secret faults. These secret faults of pride or selfishness can eat away, causing unhappiness. Cleanse me from the sin of presumptuousness (Ps 94:12) Happy is he whom you correct. Contrast: Worldly people try imitation remedies, such as drugs, alcohol and illicit sex. They reap counterfeit happiness. Counterfeit happiness is like counterfeit money - It robs you (of contentment). Prepare yourself for happiness if you want to be happy. Have a good personal study program. Read some portion of the Bible every day. Involve yourself in the King's interests: field service and meetings. Be close to people who KNOW Jehovah (Ro 12:15) Rejoicing is contagious. Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone. No one likes to be with those who are sad complainers. If you have tried all the above suggestions and still do not find happiness then there is just one thing to do. Endure! Nothing triumphs over sadness as endurance. We don't serve Jehovah because we want him to make us happy, but because we truly love him and our neighbor. This brings happiness. Make it your business to be happy! Happy is the people whose God is Jehovah. Enjoy His happiness!