Jesus summed up His teaching on happiness this way: ‘Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’ The Bible gives us three keys that are vital to lasting happiness.

1) Learn to be content (see 1 Timothy 6:8). There’s a story about a man who tried everything to get rid of dandelions in his garden. In desperation, he called a garden centre and asked, ‘What can I try next?’ The shop owner said, ‘Try getting used to them!’ There’ll be some things in life that we need to change, and some that we need to live with. So, ‘Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise’ (Philippians 4:8 NLT).

2) Learn to be grateful (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18). The devil doesn’t have to steal anything from us. He only has to make us take it for granted. Let’s halt his efforts by being grateful for what God’s given us. And if we can’t do that, we can thank Him for loving us and caring for us. ‘From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another’ (John 1:16 NLT).

3) Learn to appreciate your loved ones. ‘Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others’ (1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT). Author George Eliot wrote about ‘the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.’

So what are you happy about today?

What Now?

Try to get into the habit each day of looking out for things that you can thank God for.