Recommended

What Is Happiness?

Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.
- Psalm 144:15

A distraught, miserable man was looking for help and sought the counsel of a liberal minister. Looking at the unhappy condition of the man, the minister said, "Just forget about those things. Why don't you go see that famous comedian who's appearing at a local comedy club? I hear that he's keeping everyone in stitches. Go listen to him, and you'll forget how miserable you feel."

After a moment of silence, the man said, "I am that comedian."

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

What is happiness? I think the world's version of it is quite different than the Bible's version. The happiness of this world depends on circumstances. If you are in good health, the bills are paid, and things are going well, then according to the world's philosophy, you are happy. But if someone cuts you off on the freeway, or if something else goes wrong, then suddenly you are unhappy. Your happiness hinges on what is happening at a given moment.

The Bible gives us a completely different view of this thing called happiness. According to Scripture, true happiness is never something that should be sought directly; it always results from seeking something else. When we are trying to be happy, when we are trying to be fulfilled, we rarely are. But when we forget about those things and get back to the very purpose for which God put us on earth, suddenly we find the wonderful byproduct of happiness popping up in our lives.

When we seek holiness, we will find happiness. When we seek righteousness, we will become happy people because our will is aligned with the will of God as we walk in harmony with Him. The rest of life will then find the proper balance.

Copyright © 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000 Used with Permission

Was this article helpful?

Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone.

By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount, you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone.

We’re sorry to hear that.

Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. Return to homepage.

Most Popular

More Articles