Christian Living

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by Rev. Jeff Hagan, DCE, DMin, (ThD)

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

"Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.
Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed[a] in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well" (NIV).

Introduction:

If anyone tried to find happiness outside of God it was King Solomon. He looked high and low for happines in this world. Eventually, he discovered that happiness is found in a relationship with God, living life as God wants.

Four Key Ingredients:

In the above passage, we find four key ingredients for finding happiness:

1. Give (v.1) - Give of yourself, your time, your goods, your finances. One day you will be repaid by the Lord, but never have that be your motive. To be truly happy one must be truly selfless.

2. Give generously and frequently (v.2) - The idea here in this verse is to give sacrificially and to do so often. Happiness nor success are measured by the size of your house, or by the size of your car, or by the size of your bank account. Happiness and success are measured by the size of your heart and by one's obedience to Christ.

3. "Get up and 'at em!'" (v.v.3-4) - The point here is to be active and stay active. I'm not talking to the point of burn out and overload, but there is much good in being and staying active. The picture here is of a person sitting around and doing nothing. Be sure and enjoy life, don't just watch it pass you by. Even if one plans on retiring from a job, never "retire" from life.

4. Trust God (v.v.5-6) - There are some things in life that we will never understand this side of heaven. Happiness comes when we trust God completely, regardless of how the results may seem to us.

Conclusion:

The way to happiness is by giving God control of our lives, surrendering ourselves to Jesus Christ, and by following the Holy Spirit. The outflow of that will be trusting in Him to meet all our needs.

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