I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THE WORD HAPPINESS IN THIS LETTER. THERE ARE MANY EMOTIONS WE EXPERIENCE IN OUR DAILY LIVES. BUT SELDOM DO WE TAKE TIME TO ANALYZE THESE EMOTIONS.

JOY IS OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR HAPPINESS, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAPPINESS AND JOY. MANY THINGS ARE CAPABLE OF MAKING US JOYFUL FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME.

FOR EXAMPLE, ACTIVITIES MAKES US JOYFUL, WHILE WE DO THEM. HAPPINESS ON THE OTHER HAND, MIGHT BE AS ARE PEACE OF MIND. HAPPINESS IS WHAT WILL GET YOU THROUGH THE LONG HAUL. IF YOU ARE OPERATING ON A SHORT TERM JOY, YOU MAY RUN OUT OF GAS.

THE GREEK WORD MEANING HAPPY IS "MAK-AR-EE-OS", MARKARISO IS TRANSLATED FROM THE BIBLE AS BLESSES. NOW THE GREEK WORD MAY BE TRANSLATED IN TO ENGLISH AS HAPPINESS. MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE BEATITUDES IN THE BIBLE, WHICH ARE THE DECLARATIONS OF CHRIST FROM THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. WHICH BEGIN WITH "BLESSED ARE" PEACE OF MIND, OR BLESSED HAPPINESS, THAT COMES FROM OUR FATHER.

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU HEARD SOMEONE SAY, "WELL THERE IT IS AGAIN, ANOTHER BLUE MONDAY ? BUT NOW YOU SEE, MONDAY IS A GOOD DAY OF THE WEEK, IT IS THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER WEEK THAT WE MAY SERVE THE LORD. A CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF TRUE HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD.

BUT THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT A CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A BOWL OF CHERRIES. YOU SEE, WE ALL HAVE PROBLEMS, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE A STRONG FOUNDATION IN CHRISTIANITY, YOU KNOW THE PROBLEMS OF THIS WORLD, DON'T AMOUNT TO MUCH. NOW CHRISTIANS HAVE THE PEACE OF MIND TO FIND TRUE HAPPINESS.

YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THERE IS A FLESH BODY AND A SPIRITUAL BODY. YOU LIVE FOR THE INNER MAN, AND THAT IS WHERE YOU FIND HAPPINESS. NOW WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY HAPPINESS.

PROVERBS CHAPTER 3 VERSE 13 SAYS: "BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO FINDS WISDOM, THE MAN WHO GAINS UNDERSTANDING.

DON'T EVER FORGET THIS BROTHER, WHAT TYPE OF UNDERSTANDING ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING THAT WE GET FROM THE WORD OF GOD AND NOT FROM MAN OR WORLDLY THINGS.

PROVERS CHAPTER 3 VERSE 14: "FOR SHE IS MORE PROFITABLE THAN SILVER, AND YIELDS BETTER RETURNS THEN GOLD.

HOW COULD WISDOM AND UNDERSTAND BE BETTER THAN SILVER AND GOLD? BELOVED, IF YOU HAVE WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING, RICHES AND OTHER BLESSING FOLLOW ANYWAY. HOWEVER, IF YOU HAD A POCKET FULL OF GOLD BUT LACK WISDOM, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE A POCKET FULL OF GOLD FOR LONG. AND SOMEONE WOULD BE VERY JOYFUL TO MAKE YOU A REAL DEAL AND BEAT YOU OUT OF YOU GOLD. NOW WHAT THIS MEANS, WITH OUT WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD, YOU HAVE NO SILVER AND GOLD.

PROVERBS CHAPTER 3 VERSE 15, 16: "SHE IS MORE PRECIOUS THAT RUBIES; NOTHING YOU DESIRE CAN COMPARE WITH HER. LONG LIFE IS IN HER RIGHT HAND; IN HER LEFT HAND ARE RICHES AND HONOR.

LONG LIFE MEANS THE POWER TO REMAIN HEALTHY AND TO SURVIVE, NOW ARE WE TALKING ABOUT BEING "STREET WISE" HERE. NO, "STREET WISE" IS THE MAN WHO IS IN THE WORLD. HE'S THE ONE THAT HIS EYES AND EARS ARE CLOSED. BUT THE WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING THAT COMES FROM OUR FATHERS WORDS, IS THE WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE THAT HE GAVE US IN THE BIBLE WHICH WORD OF GOD.

PROVERBS CHAPTER 3 VERSE 17: "HER WAYS ARE PLEASANT WAYS AND ALL HER PATHS ARE PEACE.

THIS IS PEACE OF MIND I MENTIONED EARLIER IN THIS LETTER. HAPPY IS THE PERSON THAT IS ABLE TO THINK WITH UNDERSTANDING, BY READING CHAPTER BY CHAPTER, VERSE BY VERSE, LINE BY LINE. THIS IS HAPPINESS.

PROVERBS CHAPTER 3 VERSE 18: "SHE IS A TREE OF LIFE TO THOSE WHO EMBRACE HER. THOSE WHO LAY HOLD OF WILL BE BLESSED.

NOW REMEMBER BROTHER, CHRIST IS THE TREE OF LIFE, IF YOU GRAB HOLD OF HIS WISDOM YOU TRULY BLESSED.

PROVERBS CHAPTER 3 VERSE 19: "BY WISDOM THE LORD LAID THE EARTHS' FOUNDATIONS, BY UNDERSTANDING HE SET THE HEAVENS IN PLACE.

ALWAYS LISTEN TO GODS WORD IT WAS BY WISDOM THE LORD FORMED THE EARTH, AND BY UNDERSTANDING THAT HE ESTABLISHED THE HEAVEN. DON'T LET ANY OF GODS' WORD PASS YOU BY, IT WAS WRITTEN TO YOU.

BELOVED, GOD CREATED YOUR BODY, HE SENT THE BIBLE AS AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR YOUR BODY. HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU TRIED TO PUT A TOY TOGETHER FOR YOUR CHILD, WITHOUT FIRST READING THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL AND JUST AS YOU FINISHED IT, THE TOY FELL APART.

THEN YOU SAY "I SHOULD HAVE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS." LIKE THE SAME WAY, OUR LIVES FALL APART, WHEN WE DON'T FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL THAT GOD SENT TO US. THE LORD TELLS US OUR BODY WILL WORK VERY WELL AND WE WILL BE HAPPY, IF WE WILL JUST DO THINGS HIS WAY. ALL WISDOM COMES FROM OUR FATHER.

SO MY DEAR FRIENDS, IF WE HAVE JESUS CHRIST IN OUR HEARTS , IN OUR MINDS AND IN OUR SOULS, THEN WE ARE TRULY HAPPY.