Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.  Proverbs 16:20

One of mankind’s great quests is for happiness. Some seek it by pursuing peace and security. Some search for it in the acquisition of wealth and material benefits. Others hope to find it by procuring power and prestige.

There are countless examples of how the quest for happiness has ended in failure. Jay Gould, the American millionaire, was on his death bed when he said, “I suppose l am the most miserable man on earth.” The French revolutionary, Voltaire, came to the end of his life and declared, “I wish I had never been born.” Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure and ended up saying, “The worm, the canker and the grief are mine alone.”

Another man went to his psychiatrist and said, “Doctor, I am lonely, despondent, and miserable. Can you help me?” The doctor told the man that the best cure for his depression was to go to the circus and see a famous clown who was reputed to make even the most miserable laugh with merriment. The man replied, “I am that clown.”

No wonder a retired President of Harvard University said, “The world is searching for a creed to believe and a song to sing.” Yes, many people are searching for happiness and few are finding it. If this is your quest, read on and discover three essentials for happiness.

The first essential for happiness is to trust in Jesus Christ. Happiness will delude you if you don’t trust in God, for happiness isn’t found in possessions or practices, but found in a person – in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus happiness comes when we let God have His way with us, when we stop fighting with God, when we embrace Jesus in simple faith. As it says in the Bible, “Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord” and “blessed is he whose … hope is in the Lord his God” Proverbs 16:20; Psalm 146:5.

The second essential for happiness is to endure for Jesus Christ. Some people started out with God but then they turned their back on Him and refused to persevere. If you choose to reject God then you run the risk of happiness becoming an elusive dream. The Bible says, “We consider blessed those who have persevered” James 5:11. Thus happiness comes when we hang in with God, when we keep on trusting in God despite setbacks, when we don’t give up, when we keep on keeping on.

The third essential for happiness is to work for Jesus Christ. Someone once said, “The secret of true happiness is to do a little kindness to someone every day.” Thus to be happy, you need to be helping the needy. You need to be serving one another in love. You need to be “rich in good deeds” (1 Timothy 6:18) and bringing some sunshine into the lives of others. This is confirmed in Proverbs 14:21 when it states, “Blessed is he who is kind to the needy.”

It’s that simple! You’ll find happiness when you trust in Jesus, endure for Jesus and work for Jesus. Why not put it to the test?