Greetings and blessings to all friends and brothers in Christ.
Being happy at all times implies that our joy does not depend on life's situations, but that our joy depends directly on God. Santiago says we should have great joy when we are in various tests. This shows us that joy does not depend on the circumstances of life, but on the fruit of the Holy Spirit that was poured into each of our hearts.
The life of a Christian must be full of joy, but the reality is that there are men and women who feel deeply unhappy in their field of work. "If only I had a better boss ... If I could earn more salary ... If I could work in that company ..." That is the way of thinking of many.
Two thousand years ago, John the Baptist urged dissatisfied Roman soldiers to be content with their salary (Luke 3:14). That is still good advice for us.
Surely, we can live happier and happier when we see God as our only provider: "Do not give me poverty or wealth; keep me from the necessary bread; so that I will not be satisfied and deny you, and say: Who is Jehovah? Or that being poor, flees and blasphemes the name of my God "(Pr 30: 8-9).
Similarly, we can become increasingly unhappy if we focus on life's deficiencies. Paul reminds us that "we have not brought anything to this world, and we can certainly take it out. So, having sustenance and refuge, we are happy with this" (1 Tim. 6: 7-8).
Much of our dissociation is due in large part to our desire for the multiple advantages of the opulent offerings of prevailing culture. But do we really need them? Could it be that we can drive without exclusive fashion clothes? The answer is yes. While God satisfies many of our needs for goodness and grace, he really wants us to enjoy what he has already given us and to have grateful hearts. He promises to meet our needs, and when he gives us beyond the basics, we must be very humble and grateful.
So how do we get content? Asking the Lord to teach us to have gratitude for what we have, instead of complaining about what others have: "Be your custom without greed, happy with what you have now" (He 13: 5). Solomon said: "Better sight of the eyes than desire that happens" (Ec. 6: 9).
God has already blessed us in abundance. Instead, Satan wants to divert our attention to other things with his cunning twisting our hearts, so that we can accommodate a malignant virus of discontent. Instead of getting tangled up in your lies, why don't you take an inventory of all the blessings the Lord has given you and thank you for each one of them?
Without a doubt, we find our greatest source of satisfaction in a relationship of delight in the Lord Jesus Christ: "I do not say it because I have a shortage, because I have learned to be happy, whatever my situation ... I can do everything in Christ that strengthen me "(Philippians 4: 11-13). Paul faced many trials and difficulties. Some were quite difficult to bear, but he lived satisfied and content because he had an intimate relationship with the Savior and nothing was more valuable than this. Can you say that this is true in your life?
"Delight yourself also in Jehovah, and He will grant you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37: 4).