God’s Rules For Happy Living – Part 2
I.
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NOT
YOUR TROUBLES:
A. Other people don’t need your troubles, they have enough of their own.
B.
God has promised to bless
His children abundantly.
“But seek ye first the
“But seek for (aim at and
strive after) first of all His kingdom and His
righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things
taken together will be given you besides.”
Matthew
“Bring all the tithes –
the whole tenth of your income – into the storehouse, that there may be food
in My house, and prove me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not
open the windows of Heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there
shall not be room enough to receive it.”
Malachi
1.
We live in the richest and
greatest nation in the world.
2.
Even the poorest American
is rich in comparison to the rest of the world.
C.
Sure you have your problems
– we all do – but let’s face it, our
blessings
far outweigh our burdens.
1.
We need to practice the words of the
song: “Count Your Many Blessing.”
2.
If we will count our
blessings, we will be happier and more thankful to our Heavenly Father.
II.
LIVE LIFE ONE DAY AT A
TIME:
A. We can conquer any problem or sin if we will only learn to live live one day at a time!
1.
Most of our fears for
tomorrow never materialize.
2.
We often miss the roses,
because we are looking for thorns.
B.
If we would only learn to
live one day at a time, there would be
fewer nervous breakdowns.
C.
We have no assurance of
living till tomorrow – so why not take it
as it comes – one day at a time.
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we
will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business
and make a profit.’ Yet you do not
know what you life will be like tomorrow.
You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes
away. Instead, you ought to say,
‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’”
James 4:13-15 (NAS)
1.
If we would only learn this
we would be much happier.
III.
LEARN TO BE A GIVER AND NOT
A GETTER:
A. If we are not getting out of life what we expect, it may be that we are expecting to always receive and never give.
“Give,
and it will be given to you. They
will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, a
running over. For by your standard
of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
Luke
1. Some go through life always expecting to receive from others, but they never give a thing.
2. “In everything I
showed you that by working hard in this
manner you must help the weak and remember
the words of the
Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, “It is
more blessed to give
Than receive.”
Acts
IV.
PRAY EVERY DAY
A.
Many Scriptures tell
us this:
“Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 16-18 (NIV)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, let your requests be known to God.”
Philippians 4:6 (NAS)
“Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your
prayer (life), being (both) alert and intent in (your praying)” with
Thanksgiving.”
Colossians 4:2 (Amplified)
1.
When a husband and
wife do not talk or communicate we know that something is wrong – when God’s
children do not communicate with Him, something is wrong!
c)
Prayer is a vital
ingredient in God’s Recipe for Happiness.
V.
LEARN TO
COUNT:
A.
All things have a
place in life.
1.
Some things are far
more important than others.
2.
We must learn to keep
important things in first place.
B.
Many things in life
are important (some more than others)
1.
Our Lord stressed
priorities:
“But seek first His kingdom and His
rigteousness and all these things will be added to
you.” Matthew
2.
Spiritual matters
must take priority over material things.
C.
One cannot be
truly happy until he learns to count the true value of things – and put first
things first.
VI.
LET NOTHING
BOTHER YOU:
A.
So often we allow
little things to bother us (often imaginary).
We allow little things to rob us of happiness.
“And the peace of God which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 (KJV)
B.
There should be no
room for trashy evil thoughts in the mind of a Christian.
VII.
FILL YOUR LIFE
WITH GOOD:
A.
As God’s children we
should fill our minds with good thoughts and ideas.
“Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report;
if there are any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Phillipians 4:8 (KJV)
B.
There should be no
room for trash evil thoughts in the mind of a Christian.
VIII.
LEARN TO LAUGH
AND LEARN TO CRY:
A.
It has been estimated
that over 70% of all physical ills could be overcome if we could learn to
laugh and cry.
B.
Many think it’s
terrible to laugh and joke.
“A merry heart doeth good like a
medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
Proverbs
“Rejoice with them
that do rejoice and weep with them that weep.”
Rom.
Only when we learn to laugh and cry with one another can we truly be happy and
“bear one another’s burdens.”
IX.
LEARN TO
PRACTICE THE HAPPINESS HABIT:
A.
Learn to smile and
the world will smile with you.
“Rejoice in the Lord always: and
again I say, rejoice.” Phil 4:4
(KJV)