How to Discover True Happiness (according to the Bible)

I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t have the desire to discover true happiness and contentment in their life. And truth be told, we all search for it in different ways. We focus on our careers, our families, helping others, our faith, etc. all in the hope of finding true joy.

A famous author once said that in order to be truly happy in this life we all need “someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” Biblically speaking, he was right…

How to Discover True Happiness (according to the Bible) | alyssajhoward.com

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Someone to Love… We choose joy when we choose to love God.

The Bible tells us that the only source of true joy is God. Without Him, we are hopeless in our sin and we have nothing to look forward to beyond this life. As grim as that sounds, the Bible is pretty clear about this.

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. – Colossians 2:13-14

Once dead in our sin, we now have the opportunity to be alive in Christ. That is certainly something to be joyous about!

In the Old Testament, we discover that even though King David was a man after God’s own heart, he still struggled with sin. He learned the hard way that sin often leads to consequences, but God is always faithful to forgive when we confess our sin to Him.

Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long…. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. – Psalm 32:1-3, 5 (NLT)

I keep coming back to that first line, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven…” We have a Creator who loves us so unconditionally that even in our sin, He still sent His Son to die for us. (Romans 5:8)

 

Something to Do… We choose joy when we live out God’s call on our lives.

As believers, we have been called to an amazing purpose. We will most certainly find joy as we live out this God-given call on our lives. Here are some examples:

Obedience to God: The Bible tells us time and time again, that sin leads to nothing but sorrow yet obedience to God brings us great joy.

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. – Psalm 119:1-3 (NLT)

Ministry/Reaching the Lost: The Apostle Paul often told His fellow brothers and sisters in Christ how much joy they brought him. He found great joy in his ministry, and it shines throughout his letters to the churches.

Giving/Serving Others: God loves a cheerful giver! (2 Corinthians 9:7) God promises to bless those who give wholeheartedly with a cheerful attitude. (Luke 6:38) In addition to giving, God calls us to serve. This also needs to be done with a cheerful heart.

…remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” – Acts 20:35

 

Something to Hope For… We choose joy when we live for eternity rather than our current struggles or circumstances.

As children of God, we have an amazing hope to look forward to! We will be in the presence of our Father for all eternity!

You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever. – Psalm 16:11

In this life, we will have troubles. With heaven on our mind, however, we can be joyful in knowing that we have an amazing hope in Jesus!

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. – James 1:2-3 (NLT)

 

One Final Thought…

When we serve God, we have found someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. Joy should come automatically right? Not necessarily… Sometimes it is necessary for us to choose joy over sorrow.

In their many trials and tribulations, both King David and Paul chose joy. They sang songs of thanksgiving even when things were at their worst. We have to continually remind ourselves who we are in Christ and what He has done for us. We have an amazing hope found in Him alone, but it’s easy to forget when things get tough. I encourage you to press on through these circumstances.

In all things, choose joy!

 

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! – Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT)

 

How to Discover True Happiness (according to the Bible) | alyssajhoward.com

*Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

**Photo by Ben White at ChristianPics.co


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