HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 160
page A158
Happiness continued
• R O MA NS 5 :2 | And we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
• H E B R E W S 1 0 :3 4 | When all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You
knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.
Hope in God’s promise of eternal life can make us happy because we know that what we
are presently going through will one day end.
• A C T S 5 :4 1 | The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy
to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.
When you live in such a way that even your suffering brings honor to Jesus, he has a
special place of honor for you, and this should bring you a deep sense of joy.
How can I bring happiness to others?
• R O MA NS 1 2 :1 0 | Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring
each other.
• H E B R E W S 1 2 :1 5 | Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace
of God.
Treating others with God’s love will bring them happiness. Just as God is the wellspring
of true happiness, so you are his conduit of that happiness to others.
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• 2 C O R I NT H I A NS 7 :1 3 | In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially
delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his
mind at ease.
Exercising hospitality toward others will help them relax and be happy for a time.
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How can I make God happy?
• DE U T E R O NO MY 3 0 :1 0 | “The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and
keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the
Lord your God with all your heart and soul.”
• PSA L M 3 7 :2 3 | The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their
lives.
• PR O V E R B S 1 5 :8 | The Lord . . . delights in the prayers of the upright.
• Z E P H A NI A H 3 :1 7 | For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He
will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will
rejoice over you with joyful songs.
Can finite, sinful human beings truly bring joy and delight to the Lord, the creator of
the universe? God says yes. He created you because he wants to have a relationship with you, to delight in being with you. But you must also want a relationship
with him.
Is it possible to be happy when we have nothing materially?
• H A B A K K U K 3 :1 8 | Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
(See note on page 834.)
Habakkuk described in the previous verses an utter stripping of material prosperity. Then
this beautiful verse concludes that still he will find joy in the Lord.
• PR O V E R B S 1 3 :7 | Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be
poor. (See note on page 569.)
Material riches can bring spiritual poverty. Material poverty can bring spiritual riches. It is
possible to have both types of riches, but watch out if you are materially blessed, so your
blessing doesn’t become a curse.
• MAT T H E W 6 :1 9 -2 1 | Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and
rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven,
where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever
your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.