Happy Ever Afterward

Memory Verse: Matthew 5:6-8 “Happy are those who long to be just and good, for they shall be completely satisfied. Happy are the kind and merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. Happy are those whose hearts are pure, for they shall see God”

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

What is one of the first things you should do when you buy a new car, or DVD player, or VCR or mp3 player? Read the owner’s manual. Why? Because it shows you not only how it runs but how to operate it as it should be operated.

What happens if you have a new mp3 player and do not read the manual? Do the songs just magically appear on it? How do you get the songs from the computer to the player? If you don’t read the owner’s manual, you can’t do it.

Your life is like operating the mp3 player. You come into it with no knowledge at all. You learn from your parents and others around you, and also by personal experience. Do any of those things tell you how God wants you to live? Maybe if you have Christian parents, they will teach you, but sadly, even Christian parents are falling down on the job leaving it to others – schools, Sabbath teachers, your friends, movies and TV, songs on the radio – to teach you about life and how it works. What is wrong with learning about life from these sources? (They are not the true source – they are secondhand sources and many of them teach you lies).

As an example, suppose you have an IPOD that plays only one kind of music file .aa. Suppose your friend has an mp3 player that only plays mp3 files and will not play any other kinds of music files. Can your friend teach you how to operate your IPOD? Will any of that information about their mp3 player work for your IPOD? Will the owner’s manual for the mp3 player work for the IPOD? You have to use the owner’s manual that came with your IPOD in order to learn how to load songs and operate it. No other owner’s manual will work for your machine. Your owner’s manual has everything in it that you need to know to use your IPOD.

In the same way, secular sources of information about how to live do not always tell you about how to live God’s way. As Christians, we are given or have access to, God’s owner’s manual – His Word, the Bible. People kid about the BIBLE being Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, but there is a lot of truth there. Have you ever thought about how the Bible is the same way? Everything you ever need to know about how to live a happy and successful life is found in your owner’s manual – The Holy Bible.

The Bible teaches us about Jesus. Jesus is God in the Flesh – being born a little baby and growing up just like you. We learn how to be like Jesus from Jesus Himself in His Word. We learn about how He thinks and about His character – who He is -- from Him.

So many people go about their lives with no direction at all, looking for fulfillment without ever considering the wisdom found in the Bible. They look for fulfillment in all the wrong places – drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, money, power, fame, or accumulating lots of stuff.

There was a very rich king named Solomon who had everything he could ever want – money, power, lots of wives and children. He wrote the entire book of Ecclesiastes telling us that you can’t find happiness in any of those things – apart from God. Read it and see for yourselves.

Jesus knew we all desire happiness. One day He taught His disciples the key ingredients to having a happy life.

Matthew 5:3-11 “ 3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who strive for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”

Why should you be happy when people say bad things about you or the way you worship God? You will have a tremendous reward that Jesus will bring back with Him when He returns.

Does your happiness depend on the things that you have or don’t have? Does it depend on circumstances in your life? No! Happiness comes from a positive state of mind – from knowing that God is with you no matter what you are going through in this life. It comes from knowing that this is a temporary life and that a better permanent life awaits you.

2Timothy 3:1-5 “ 1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”

You can’t truly be happy if you are making wrong decisions and suffering bad consequences from the results of those decisions. God laid out in the Bible what is right and what is wrong. It is up to you to make the right choices in the first place.

2Tim 3:15-16 “5 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."

Did you know that if you obey God and respect His Law that He promises to reward you with prosperity and make you happier than you could ever imagine? This prosperity may not be monetary but a better and happier life.

Psalm 128:1-2 1 How joyful are those who fear the LORD— all who follow his ways! 2 You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!”

God has given us a great gift – an owner’s manual for our life – His Word, the Holy Bible. Read it and learn what you need to know to live according to His Will. After all, you do want to spend eternity with Him, don’t you?

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