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Since the coronavirus pandemic, our lives have drastically changed. On the one hand, people came to realize the importance of daily life; on the other, the number of people has increased who feel frustrated or depressed due to the limitations of communication and activities. As we hear the news of increasing economic hardships and intensifying social conflicts, many people are worried about the gloomy and unfortunate future due to various obstacles in front of them, and they feel depressed.
However, there are also people who find greater happiness even in the midst of hardships and difficulties. They are the people who live with the hope of heaven in the truth of the new covenant. Let us, all of the members in Zion, find out the secret to happiness through the Bible, and to those who have lost hope, let us introduce the happiness that they can have when they have faith in God.
Happiness and Unhappiness Are Fruits of Thoughts
There was a man who was always happy. This man was always happy and joyful whether something good or bad happened.
A reporter asked him what the secret was to always being happy. He replied that he went through all kinds of difficulties, adversities, hardships, and painful situations throughout his life, yet he never thought about becoming unhappy in any of those situations. He replaced any negative thoughts with the idea that the hardest thing was not to be happy. Thus, he was always overflowed with joy and happiness. Moreover, he gained even more joy because he recently started to believe in God and was now preparing himself for the eternal kingdom of heaven.
We should engrave this man’s answer on our hearts. There are people who feel unhappy about their lives even though they possess a lot of things. On the contrary, there are people who always live happily even though they don’t have much. What is the difference between these two types of people? God said that a person’s blessing and disaster are both the fruit of their thoughts.
Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes [thoughts, KJV], because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law. Jer 6:19
What brings us happiness and unhappiness is our thoughts. Undesirable things are bound to happen in our lives. Instead of feeling pessimistic and depressed, concerned with our worries, and being in anguish each time some unforeseeable event occurs, we need to change every negative emotion into energy that fuels our happiness.
When I look around myself at the start of a new year, I see those who used to be young and strong have already become middle-aged and elderly. Getting older, many people lament that they are getting older, but there are also people in the truth who rejoice about this. It is because they know that the kingdom of heaven is getting closer. As the days go by and the years go by, they are happy not because they get more wrinkles and lose their physical strength, but because the time for them to go to heaven is that much closer.
If we only think about the day we will return to our eternal heavenly home, we can always live with joy and excitement. Shouldn’t we always be happy since we have received God’s promise to inherit a world where there will be no more death or sorrow or pain? The fact that we have the kingdom of heaven is our greatest happiness and blessing.
Thinking of the glorious kingdom of heaven, let us fill the rest of our lives with happiness. By doing so, in this year, let us walk the path of faith, finding even more reasons for our happiness in the truth.
Train Yourself to Be Happy
While leading the Israelites in the desert for forty years, God put them through various situations. Although He could provide only favorable circumstances, He sometimes made them go hungry and thirsty, and humbled them and tested them in order to know what was truly in their heart (Dt 8:2–6).
It is the same with the path we are walking now in the desert of faith. While we’re walking the path of faith, sometimes we encounter burdensome and uncomfortable situations. Whenever this happens, if we feel jealousy, have thoughts full of complaints and grumbles, and compare our situation with that of others, it is no different from bringing hardships upon ourselves. If we think that we are unhappy, it is to push ourselves farther away from happiness. On the contrary, if we don’t think that we are unhappy, like the person mentioned earlier, happiness comes to us in any circumstances.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Th 5:16–18
It is God’s will to be joyful always and give thanks in all circumstances. If we fully put these words into practice, we can say we’ve found the secret to happiness.
Everything we encounter on our path of faith is a situation prepared by God. God gives us various situations in order to see if we obey God’s words, “Be joyful always and give thanks in all circumstances.” God tells us that we must never lose our gratitude in any situation. If we feel depressed or complain because we are put in a difficult situation, can we pass the test?
There are so many things to be thankful for all around us. We are thankful to be in Zion, in the truth, which Heavenly Father and Mother have established. We are thankful that all the members of Zion are together as family, and we are thankful that God has allowed us to go to heaven. Even if we get exhausted or need to endure through something painful, or even if something extremely heartbreaking happens in our life, we must decide to accept it from a perspective of a joyful person who turns even a difficult situation into something to be joyful and thankful for. All this is the process of going to heaven where there will be no more death or crying, so we can always be truly thankful and happy.
Let us overcome all hardships and trials, believing that God will grant us the blessings of heaven after we overcome our present difficulties. We should not only give thanks with just our words, but always try to be genuinely thankful.
If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Ti 4:6–8
In order to keep the word of God, we need to train ourselves to do that. God said that it is God’s will to be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. So we should also put this into practice. Even if you are not successful by putting it into practice once or twice, then try ten times and even a hundred times. Eventually, it will work. Just like the person who was able to change any unfortunate event into something to be happy about, we need to practice feeling happy about everything. This is the attitude of the saints who walk in the way of the truth.
Let us always pay attention to God’s word and train ourselves to be godly, only looking at the things of God. Since God said that those who do the will of the Father will go to heaven (Mt 7:21), let us make every effort to do the will of God.
Those who have trained themselves to be godly do not think it is unfortunate when they are faced with a difficult situation. They feel thankful and happy, realizing that God humbles them to lead them to the everlasting kingdom of heaven. In this way, let us overcome any momentary crisis in our life of faith, and always walk the path of faith with joy and excitement, longing for the everlasting kingdom of heaven which Father has prepared for us.
Joy and Gratitude, the Secret to Happiness
When it comes to the truth, the truth of the new covenant we have received is the best of all. Our God Elohim is the greatest, and the kingdom of heaven we are going to is the best place all mankind wants to go to. Since God is preparing such a splendid and glorious world for us, who can be happier than us?
Heaven is waiting for us. Even though we are going through hardships now, we will always be able to find happiness if we keep in mind that God’s providence is in them and that the blessings of heaven will be given to us.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life . . . 1 Ti 6:7–12
Apostle Paul found happiness in his life, knowing how to be content even in regard to the food he ate or the clothes he wore. Saying, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it,” he encouraged the saints to be content, getting rid of any worldly desire. While preaching, he received the forty lashes minus one even five times, three times he was beaten with rods, he was in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from his own countrymen, and he suffered many other hardships. However, none of them could make him weary; rather, he remained joyful and full of hope for the everlasting kingdom of heaven where he would go in the future. As a result, God granted him the crown of righteousness (2 Co 11:23–27; 2 Ti 4:1–8).
No matter how unfavorable a situation is, those who dwell in God do not regard it as misfortune. The Bible repeatedly warned against situations where we would feel unhappy and lose our happiness because of worldly desire.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. . . . but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Jas 1:12–15
Those who are tempted feel unhappy. This kind of temptation comes from our own desires, that is, worldly desires. It is okay to have the desire to go to heaven, but worldly desires produce temptation and unhappiness. When worldly desires penetrate the heart, it causes sorrow, and sorrow leads to sin, which in turn leads to death through sin; even the happiness that you have accumulated through being joyful and thankful is taken away by the worldly desire. Happiness turns into unhappiness from the moment you think you are unhappy due to the situation given to you.
The secret to happiness is simple. Do not think that what you are going through is unfortunate, but always be joyful and thankful! This is the secret to finding happiness.
The saints of the early Church did not regard any situation as unfortunate no matter how difficult their situation was. They were always happy in God, saying, “Who can lead us away from our love for God when the love of Christ compels us?” (2 Co 5:14; Ro 8:35). Even though they were persecuted, they thought persecution was natural for those who wanted to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, and they rejoiced that they could participate in Christ’s suffering even in the midst of persecution (2 Ti 3:12; 1 Pe 4:12–13). Such people were given a crown of life.
Messengers of Happiness Who Preach the Way of the New Covenant
The day will surely come when God will give honor and glory to all the children of Zion. When all the gospel work is completed, we will put on the crown of life and carry out our duties as the royal priesthood in the kingdom of God. Countless angels in heaven will attend to us, and we will enjoy eternal life and blessings forever in a world where we will never be in pain or get old. The correct faith is to wait for that glorious moment, being filled with happiness.
In India, whenever the members of Zion meet each other, they ask one another, “Are you happy?” Then, they reply, “Yes, I’m happy,” talking about what happiness they have found in their day. Every member in India, too, has their own cross and difficulties, but they don’t regard it as something to be unhappy about. Instead, they all say that they are happy. I believe this is such a great lesson to learn.
Let us, too, train ourselves to be godly. We are happy people (Dt 33:29). We are in God; we have the promise of the kingdom of heaven; we have Heavenly Father and Mother. We also have a heavenly family and we are in the truth. There are so many things for us to be always be happy about.
The new covenant is the truth that brings us this happiness. From the moment we were baptized and reborn into a new life, we became truly happy beings. Therefore, we must not fail to realize this and become frustrated or complain, while navigating through our own difficulties. Those who grumble cannot go to the kingdom of heaven (1 Co 10:10). It is because they did not obey the way of the new covenant even though they received the truth. God said that everything is the result of our thoughts. Therefore, from today onwards, let us, all the heavenly brothers and sisters, follow God’s will completely by rejoicing always and giving thanks in all circumstances.
We have the hope for heaven. Father and Mother have prepared the kingdom of heaven where there is no death, no pain, but where there are overflowing blessings and eternal life. On our way to that wonderful world, we may sometimes run out of food or water, and we may have to stay under the scorching sun for some time. However, should the pain be the reason for us to stop walking the path we are now walking?
There are tens of thousands of factors that bring happiness. We shouldn’t cling to the smallest factor that can bring us unhappiness. Just because we are humbled a little and encounter some small inconveniences, we must not be obsessed with trivial matters and lose our happiness and consequently end up losing our faith, the truth, heaven, and even God. We must never commit such a foolish act. Since Satan aims for such things, God instructs us to rejoice always, that is, to always be happy.
When we realize happiness, complaints naturally disappear. Those who give thanks in all circumstances and be joyful always do not grumble. It’s because there are so many happy things around them. Let us remember how happy we are since we are looking forward to the kingdom of heaven in the truth of the new covenant, and from this moment on, let us seek all the elements of happiness in our home, in the church, and in our lives. If this is not easy, put it into practice again and again.
If you live a life of faith full of joy and thanksgiving all the time, God will approve of you, saying, “Now that you do not grumble even in such a situation, you’ve definitely become a heavenly person.” Many people in the world are still wandering without finding the secret to happiness. Let’s awaken those unhappy people to our true happiness and tell all people around the world about eternal joy, so that we can complete the gospel of the kingdom of heaven and finally enter the eternal kingdom of heaven.