Ecclesiastes 3:9-14
Don’t Worry be Happy
Start by playing Bobby McFerrin’s Song Don’t Worry be happy. 3min50sec long use pictures of sad, worrying people then happy faces, babies.
According to the Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C., a dense fog covering seven city blocks to a height of 100 feet is composed of less that one glass of water. That amount of water is divided into about 60 billion tiny droplets. Yet when those minute particles settle over a city or the countryside, they can almost blot out everything from your sight.
Many people as well as those people that call themselves Christian live their lives in a fog. They allow a cupful of troubles to cloud their vision and dampen their spirit. Anxiety, turmoil and defeat strangle their thoughts. (sermoncentril.com)
Does a person really gain anything from his work? I saw the hard work God has given us to do. God has also given us a desire to know the future. God certainly does everything at just the right time. But we can never completely understand what he is doing. So I realize that the best thing for people is to be happy. They should enjoy themselves as long as they live. God wants everyone to eat and drink and be happy in his work. These are gifts from God. I know anything God does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to what God has done. And they cannot take anything away from it. God does it this way to cause people to honor him.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
We sometimes take ourselves too seriously and think we have our priorities in the right place.
Fans of the American Wild West will find in a Deadwood, South Dakota museum this inscription left by a beleaguered prospector:
"I lost my gun. I lost my horse. I am out of food. The Indians are after me. But I’ve got all the gold I can carry!"(sermoncentril.com) He had his priorities in the right place-NOT-
What is happiness? What makes you happy? Solomon said we should be happy in what we do. (Verse 13) It is what God wants for us. Paul said we should be content in what ever our circumstances or state we are in (Philippians 4:11) But what makes us happy?
Webster says happiness is=a feeling of pleasure, joy glad fortunate. What does that mean?
Happiness is a state of contentment in what we do or where we are.
In other words enjoy your life. Look at life as an adventure and enjoy the ride. God has plans to prosper you not to harm you (Jeremiah 29:11) Just follow God and you will never go wrong.
YOU WANT TO FIND HAPPYNESS?
Here is where we will find it in Christ.
The pearl is one of the most precious of gems. It is a miracle of nature. But where does it come from? It is produced by the lowly oyster, an ugly creature, inside and out. The oyster has little in the way of attractiveness that would suggest the beauty that resides inside. You can find blessings in strange places.
Jesus proved the truth of that statement, in the spiritual realm, when he preached what we call The Sermon on the Mount. This sermon begins with that familiar word “blessed.” Modern translators have often used the words “happy” or “fortunate” instead.
The beatitudes are not a series of commands, but blessings. They are descriptions of the kind of person who will receive the blessings of God. They identify a series of qualities that produce happiness, even though happiness is not readily apparent.
I. Happiness in our relationship to God
A. Jesus says that happiness can be found where there is poverty. The word translated “poor” is the word which denotes absolute poverty. It describes not the condition of having a little, but of having nothing. It is not financial poverty that Jesus has in mind, but spiritual poverty. We must learn to admit our need and to recognize the only one who can fill it.
B. Jesus says that happiness can be found where there is weeping. There is a hidden blessing in mourning. If our heart can be broken, then we know we have a heart. Those who cannot mourn cannot love either. It is better to have a broken heart than no heart at all.
C. Jesus says happiness can be found where there is submission. To the modern mind meekness is a quality to avoid. Meekness is not for the faint-hearted or timid.
D. Jesus says happiness can be found where there is hunger. The hunger referred to here is not the rumble of a missed meal, but the gnawing hunger that results from deprivation. It is not literal hunger, of course, but a hunger and thirst for righteousness.
II. Happiness in our relationship with each other
A. Jesus says happiness can be found where there is forgiveness. Most will agree that mercy is a blessing when you receive it. Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful ... ”
B. Jesus says happiness can be found where there is sincerity. The non-Christian does not believe that the pure of heart are blessed. The Christian knows a wonderful secret. Purity carries its own reward. It is a lifestyle that brings health and contentment.
C. Happiness can be found where there is conflict. Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” You should notice that it does not say, “Blessed are the peace-lovers.” If we dare to make peace, then we will be given the greatest compliment a person may know on earth. We will be called “sons of God.”
D. Jesus says happiness can be found where there is mistreatment. Everyone wants to be liked; it is our nature. It is not possible to please everyone, especially if you are a Christian. A person who lives a genuine Christian life can be a real nuisance. Persecution can be a character builder. Persecution can make us a more effective witness.
Conclusion
Well, that’s the picture of the happy life. How do you like it? You don’t have to accept it, you know. But sometime you may find yourself asking, “Is there something more?” Sometime you may find yourself looking for a different kind of happiness. It is at such a time that you may need to start looking for happiness where you least expect it to be.
To receive the blessing of God we must accept a different set of priorities and look in different places than the world would look. You know why. Of course you do. It should be obvious by now. Happiness is found in strange places.
