What Is Happiness?

What is it, brethren, more than anything else, that determines whether a person is happy or not? Think about that for a moment. I'm sure there are many reasons for happiness, but it seems to me that there is one main reason for happiness. We all know that a person can have all kinds of material goods and still not be happy.

We all know that a person can seemingly have everything going for them and still not be all that happy. But it seems that some people have very little going for them in certain ways in regard to material goods, and yet they are very happy people. What is the root cause of happiness? Songs have been written about happiness. Don't worry, be happy. You heard that song? Sorry about the singing. I know that's not going to make you all that happy. I suppose it's true that people who worry a lot do rob themselves of a certain amount of happiness. So we shouldn't worry. We should be happy. It's difficult to worry and to be happy at the same time. So is worry the root cause of unhappiness? Certainly, fearful people also rob themselves of a certain amount of happiness. It's difficult to be happy and be fearful at the same time. So is fear the root cause of unhappiness? Now, those of us here in America, we celebrate once a year Thanksgiving Day. And I think that's really good because at least it gets us to focus on being thankful. Because I submit to you that being truly thankful, that is the root cause of real happiness. People who are very thankful for whatever situation they're in seem to be able to be happy for the most part. If they're grateful, if they're thankful, then they're going to be, for the most part, happy. If they're not very thankful, it's pretty hard to be happy if you're not thankful for what's going on. So if you can have the big picture and think of reasons to be happy, reasons to be thankful, then happiness will follow. But you've got to find some reasons, of course, to be thankful. And think about those things. So it's very difficult to be ungrateful, unthankful, and to be truly happy at the same time. It's pretty easy to be ungrateful, unthankful, and unhappy at the same time. That kind of goes together. So when we're truly thankful, we can't help but have at least a real measure of true happiness. If you're really thankful for whatever it is, like for me getting this new tie, it makes me happy. But if you are thankful, then there will be a measure of happiness. So if you really want to be happy, then concentrate on being thankful. Concentrate on really being thankful for whatever it is you can be thankful about.

I've noticed that happy people are basically thankful people. Happy people are thankful people. Thankful people are happy people. So maybe that's the root cause of happiness, is being thankful.

So learning to cultivate the mindset of being happy or being thankful, then happiness will follow.

I want you to think about trying to concentrate on having a mindset of being thankful for whatever it is that's going on in your life. Trying to figure out ways to be grateful about it. The Bible says that even in our trials, we should count it all joy. Even in our trials, because God is working a good work in us. And He's testing us and working with us. So even in our trials, if we can find reasons to be thankful for that. Now, it does seem that some people are just more naturally thankful than others. Some are just more cranky. And they're not as thankful. Some seem to have to struggle more with their attitudes. You know, maybe it's their genetics, their temperament, the way they're put together. So how grateful and thankful are you, first of all, for the big things in life? You might ask, well, what are the big things? It's good to think about that. It obviously depends on our priorities and what is most important to you personally. I will share with you some of the big things that I am grateful for, that I'm thankful about. One is my relationship with God and Jesus Christ. I put that first because I believe that is the most important thing to me. My relationship with God and Jesus Christ. Now, I really never thought about that much until I was 18. Now, that's when God started to really call me and reveal the truth, as Mr. Martin was talking about. God was revealing the truth to me of his way of life. So my relationship with God and Jesus Christ became very, very important to me. I've always been very thankful about that relationship that I have with God and with Christ. Secondly, my calling is one of the first fruits. In God's plan of salvation, knowing the truth about God's plan of salvation, and realizing that I'm one of the first fruits out of billions of people who have lived on this earth, maybe 40, 50 billion, who knows? There are very few that are going to be in that first resurrection. So, thinking about that, that makes me very thankful. And that makes me happy, too, to know that I'm a part of that select group. Not because I'm so special myself, but for whatever reasons, God has called me, chosen me, and given me this understanding. So my calling is super important to me.

My family, my wife, my kids, my grandkids, these are also huge to me, and I know they are as well to you. My brothers, my sisters, my parents, they're no longer alive, but my family, very, very important to me. And I'm truly grateful for my family. I've had a loving wife all these years, wonderful kids, my son, my daughter, both, you know, we have a very close relationship, all of us together, and that's something to be really grateful about. And I've got a couple of brothers in Ohio that I'm now going to be able to see more often, so that's cool. And my sister, or my wife, has three sisters that are in Ohio as well, or close. One's in Michigan, but close to Ohio, close to Toledo, where my wife grew up. So we're going to be able to see more family there, and God bless us with a nice home, so we'll be able to have everyone in at the same time, hopefully, whenever that opportunity arises. I'd love to have my brothers and sisters, my wife, my kids, my grandkids, all over at the same time, one of these days. And I think now we could pull that off with, you know, with being close in Ohio. So that's very important. That's huge.

Fourthly, God's church, God's people, you know, all of you, you're huge in my life. You know, I'm happy because I know you. I'm thankful for all of you. That helps me be one of the happiest men on earth, you know, because I serve great people, and that's a true blessing to be able to do that.

The ministry is very important to me as well. It goes along with this fourth point. God's church, God's people, the ministry that God has called me to, these are all huge things. You know, they're very important to me. So I'm very thankful for all of these things, which helps me be a pretty happy guy. Number five, my health. You know, I'm grateful for my health. You know, God's been good to me. He's given me good health.

Very good health over 63 years. And I'm truly grateful for that health that God has given me. It's allowed me to do a lot, you know, to serve God, to serve His people, and also to just enjoy my life. So I'm thankful for good health. And I give God thanks all the time for my health.

I'm sure I wouldn't be as happy if I was always sick and hurting and all of that. I know that's difficult. I feel for those people who do have chronic pains and chronic health issues, you know, those are the people that we should care about and pray for. Because when they suffer, we should be suffering to some degree. So we ought to take to heart their needs and pray for them.

Also, the health and well-being of those I love, you know, which goes back to what I just said about God's people that are hurting. Or if my wife is not feeling well, my daughter, my grandchildren, you know, anyone, if their health is not...if they have good health, I'm truly grateful for that because that's a blessing. Something to be grateful for. Something to be thankful about. And thankfully, for the most part, they've been very healthy. So I'm really grateful for that. I guess next is the basic necessities of life. You know, I'm thankful that I have roof over my head. I have food to eat. I've never had to really lack. You know, God has been very, very gracious over the years. You know, I've never...you know, I haven't lived in poverty. I haven't lived wondering where my next meal is coming from. Now, that's a tremendous blessing. We should all be grateful, thankful for that.

Another thing I'm thankful for...now, I'm down to like eight spot now. That's my hobbies. Hunting, fishing, softball. You know, I like...I enjoy those things. You know, I'm grateful that I'm still healthy enough to enjoy these hobbies. I believe we should all have some hobbies because it adds a little spice to life and it helps us be a little happier, I think.

Being thankful for these things, being able to do these things. Reading is another hobby that I enjoy. And God has allowed me to be able to read. I think all of us probably can read. You know, until we get so old, we can't see any longer. You know, then we can listen to audio tapes. I mean, there's a lot of things to be grateful for that we...you know, we just have to find those things to be grateful for.

And then way down on the list are the luxuries of life. And look, I've enjoyed a lot of luxuries. I really have. And you have, too. I mean, we live in a very blessed country because of Abraham and, you know, because he obeyed God's voice. God says, because you obeyed my voice, you might kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws, I'm going to bless you. I'm going to bless your seed through Isaac. And so I believe that we are enjoying the blessings of Abraham here in this country. And so I'm grateful for that. And I have a lot of luxuries that God has blessed me with. I'm thankful for those things. They're not as important as the other things to me, really. The other things are more important. So we should be grateful for the big things in our lives. Now, we might ask ourselves, well, what about little things? Should we be grateful for little things? I think we should. Because sometimes little things are not as little as you might think. For example, enjoying a sunset. Every evening there's a sunset. Now, some are better than others. I vividly remember some sunsets when I was down in the Bahamas for the feast. Some unbelievable sunsets. I took some pictures. They were so gorgeous. So just enjoying a sunset, a walk in the woods, even a rose garden. You know, a walk in the rose garden that smells good, it's fragrant.

It can be beautiful. A breath of fresh air, just being able to get outside and breathe some fresh air and enjoy that. Some laughter. Not such a small thing, really. A smile. You know, when you smile and I smile, there's something infectious about smiling. I'm trying to get to... there we go! Everyone's smiling back at me now. That idiot up there.

But, you know, little things in life, we should try to get some enjoyment, some happiness out of those things as well. Now, our great God has been super gracious to all of us. He has given us very much. I gave a sermon on, We're Saved by Grace.

And I gave that sermon here not too long ago. In it, I mentioned how God, who is the biggest, the greatest, he has, in a sense, he stooped before inferiors, all of us.

And he's humbly, graciously given us an opportunity to enjoy eternal life. And, of course, that took the sacrifice of the one who had lived with him throughout eternity. The one who became the Christ, became born of the flesh, who died for us.

You know, that wonderful sacrifice, obviously we should be grateful to God and His Son, Jesus Christ. That should keep us pretty happy, for the most part. If we're dwelling on those things, if we're cultivating this mindset, if we wake up in the morning and we're grateful that we're alive, that we got some rest. Maybe we didn't get as much as we'd like, but at least we got some, or we wouldn't have awakened. We woke up from something. So we need to be thinking when we wake up in the morning to be grateful for what it is God has given us.

When we let the cares of this world and the stresses and the problems and the challenges of this world drag us down, we lose sight of our great blessings. We begin to feel a bit sorry for ourselves. Perhaps we become selfish and self-conscious. And by doing so, it steals our joy. It steals our happiness. So again, try to dwell on those things that God tells us to dwell on. Remember Philippians 4, verse 8? Think on whatsoever things are good, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, whatsoever things have virtue, think on those things. Dwell on those things and you'll be a happier person because of it. There is great joy in being thankful, but in order to have that joy, we must continually dwell upon our blessings and be truly thankful for them. Most of all, we should be truly thankful to Him who is the greatest giver of all. And we should make Him number one in our lives. Remember to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and know that all these things will be added unto you. It's a promise. God gives us these wonderful things I've been talking about because we put Him first in our lives.

We reap what we sow. There are certain laws that God has put in motion. And we do reap what we sow. Oftentimes, God allows trials that maybe we didn't cause. Maybe He's testing us in certain ways. Maybe there's nothing that we've done, a health issue that came about, nothing that we did, but it's just a trial that we have to endure.

We have to make the best of it. We always have to keep our hearts and minds on the wonderful things that God gives us during those trials and not dwell so much on the negative, but learn to look at the positive things. So here, I want to share a nugget of truth with you. Brethren, be grateful for what you have been given. And don't dwell on what you have not yet received.

Now, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have goals. It doesn't mean you shouldn't strive for certain things. But none of us are going to get everything we've ever wanted. I mean, I wanted to be 6'3", able to dunk. God has never given that to me yet. So, hey, you don't get everything you want.

But be grateful for what you have done. I'm grateful for 5'6", I used to say 5'7". I'm grateful that I'm able to do what I'm able to do. There was a point once where I wanted to be a different person. Back in high school, the guy that's 6'1", he's a good guy. He's a good guy. He's the star of the basketball team. I really wanted to be him. And I tried to be.

I was never able to pull that off. I could never project myself into someone else's body. That's a fruitless thing to try. You can't be someone else. You are who you are. So be grateful for who you are. Be thankful for who you are. God created you in his image.

So no matter who you are, be grateful for who you are. Never want to be or try to be somebody else. Be who you are. I'd like to share something from you. It came from the Discipleship Journal. This was years ago, back in 1981. It goes back a long way.

July, August of 1981. This is from a fellow named Jim White. He says, When I was a boy, my father would go away twice a year to buy clothing for his clothing store. The minute my three brothers and I heard his car drive up after one of these trips, we would run to meet him, asking what he had brought in his suitcase for us.

But one day, when he set the suitcase down after we asked what he brought home for us, he said, I brought you me! I brought you me! I remember the disappointment Jim said. Aren't you happy to see me? My dad said, I brought you me! Yeah, we're happy to see you, dad. But what have you got for us in your suitcase? He says, We bore the mark of immaturity, being wrapped up in gifts, instead of the giver. We should be wrapped up a lot more in the giver, not so much the gifts. Brother, again, God is the greatest giver of all. Thank God for whom he is daily.

Give God thanks every day for who he is. He holds up this universe by the power of his spirit. He gives us every breath that we breathe. Right now, we can all be thankful to God that we're living on planet Earth, and not on Mars. We wouldn't survive on Mars, or Pluto, or Neptune, or any of the other planets. God has given us life on this planet. We should be grateful for that. Let's go to Deuteronomy 8 for a moment. Read a few verses here. Deuteronomy 8, let's start reading in verse 7. Deuteronomy 8, verse 7. Deuteronomy 8, verse 7.

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land. This is what he's saying to the children of Israel. He's taking them into the Promised Land. They had to suffer 40 years in the wilderness because of their unbelief, and because of their foolishness and their hard-heartedness. He says, For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of those hills you can dig copper, so rich in natural resources.

Whether you have eaten and are full, when you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God. You shall thank God for the good land which he has given you. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, his judgments and his statutes which I command you today.

Keep the commandments last when you have eaten and are full, and you have built beautiful homes, and you dwell in them, when your herds and your flocks multiply and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land, where there was no water, who brought water for you out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and that he might test you to do you good in that land.

Then you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth. And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth. We should never rely on ourselves or think that we're so blessed because of who we are, of how great we are, of how astute we might be, of how intellectual we might be, or how hardworking and industrious we are. He says, don't think about that, but remember, it is God who gives you the power to get wealth.

That he may establish his covenant, which he swore to your fathers as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. Again, there are blessings for obedience. He says in verse 20, As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God. We know that's exactly what happened. They didn't listen to this. They did everything that he said not to do. They were not grateful to God. They were not thankful to God. They leaned to their own understanding. And so they paid a deep price. You remember the children of Israel, the house of Israel, went into captivity first in the land of Assyria, then not 100 plus years later, the house of Judah, who had been better examples. At least they had a few good kings in the house of Judah. I think they had four good kings. The house of Israel really didn't have a single good decent king. And they suffered for that. They all went into captivity, and they paid the price for their disobedience. They forgot God and were not grateful to God. They were not thankful to God, and I'll bet you they weren't very happy in the land of Assyria. Deuteronomy 28. Let's go to the blessing and cursing chapter here, one of them. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Let's go to Deuteronomy 28, verse 47. Deuteronomy 28, verse 47. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart. You are not filled with joy and gladness. For the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you. If you're not grateful, if you're not thankful for what God gives you, he's likely going to take it away eventually. He's not going to continue to pour out all these blessings forever if you aren't grateful for them.

So we would all be wise to really be thankful for what God has given us and not always want more. That's a greedy heart. We shouldn't be greedy and lustful and covetous. God tells us not to covet, but to be thankful for what you've been given and not dwell on what you haven't yet received. Be grateful. He says, The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand. You'll go into captivity. And this nation as a whole has forgotten God. This great nation, America, has forgotten the principles upon which we were built. We have forgotten God, and we are going to pay the price for it as a nation. This isn't always going to be rosy here in the good old U.S. of A. There's a day of reckoning coming. Hopefully, individually, we are grateful and thankful, and God will protect us and bless us as we draw near to Him in difficult times. So we should be enjoying the blessings that God has poured out upon us because of faithful Abraham. We have these rich natural resources. We have beauty all around us to be grateful for. In comparison to so many people on earth today, we have fine homes. As Mr. Martin was saying, we end up buying more expensive homes because we can. God's allowed us. He's blessed us. We're able to do this. So far, it's going up and up, and a lot of us are able to still... God's blessed us. We've spent more on houses, wherever we've gone to lately. But God's blessed us in making money so we're able to do that. So again, we should be grateful for all the blessings that we have, but we should not take them for granted. Because if we take them for granted, they will likely be taken away from us. As God's called out once today, our spiritual blessings are so much greater and more enjoyable than any of our other blessings. The spiritual blessings really are the most important to me. It's not the home we've enjoyed in Texas. It's not the home that we enjoyed in Oklahoma. It's not the home that we enjoyed in Pennsylvania. It's not the home that we enjoyed back in Oklahoma. It's not the home we had in Michigan. We've had decent places to live. God's taken care of us wherever we went. Wherever we've gone, we've been blessed. God's been very, very gracious. But it's not about the physical, material blessings. It's about His truth that we have near and dear to us, that we hold in our heart. That's what really is most important, is this calling that we have, this truth that we have, this God that we know, this Jesus Christ who gave His life for us. Those are the most important things.

So we all have a wonderful future ahead of us as well, in a glorious kingdom of peace, of prosperity, and abundance for all eternity. We can't even begin to comprehend. The Bible says, The Bible says, The Bible says, The Bible says, I has not seen nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.

We really don't grasp the spiritual blessings that will be ours if we stay faithful.

If we stay faithful, we will enjoy unbelievable blessings that we don't even get close to understanding today.

To me, that's pretty exciting.

That's... there's a lot of hope in understanding that and knowing that.

So being thankful should be a great source of joy and happiness in our lives. We have so much to be grateful for. You know, more than 60 scientists were given millions of dollars in funding. 60 scientists back... this was back in 2001, according to the U.S. News and World Report, under an article entitled, Happiness Explained. More than 60 scientists have been given millions of dollars in funding for... funding to help humanity find happiness. I'm telling you today, and I'm not charging you a cent.

A popular movement among psychologists called Positive Psychology is an attempt to elevate and focus its research on people's strengths, rather than on trying to deal with human weaknesses and problems. Okay, that's smart. Dwell on the positive. Although the U.S. Standard of Living has increased since World War II, there is no increase in the number of people who regard themselves as happy. This was back in 2001.

A U.S. News and... according to a U.S. News and World Report on the subject, it says, once income provides basic needs, it doesn't correlate to happiness, nor does intelligence, prestige, or sunny weather. People grow used to new climates, they grow used to higher salaries, they grow used to better cars. Many years and millions of dollars studying and treating depression have succeeded in reducing most people's levels of sadness, but they are not necessarily happier.

Researchers have found that self-esteem, spirituality, family, and good marriages and friendships are key to a happy life. So are hope, meaning, and discovering, and pursuing the right goals. Even helping others to be happy can jump-start a process that will lead to stronger relationships, renewed hope, and a general upward spiraling of happiness.

Just seeing others do a good deed results in that heartwarming feeling and influences people to do the same. So there's biblical principles that they've discovered. They spent millions of dollars on research. All they had to do was read the Bible and follow it. Gratitude is another key ingredient to a happy life. People who made a daily and or frequent practice of being thankful were not only more joyful, they were healthier, they were less stressed, they were more optimistic, they were more likely to help others. Even atheists who are grateful for what they have, maybe they don't know where it's coming from, but they're grateful for it, they're going to be happier people because they're thankful.

Hope and spirituality work together to provide an important basis to a happy life. I'm still reading from U.S. News & World Report. So hope and spirituality work together to provide an important basis to a happy life. Hope fosters optimism, and faith is, by definition, hope for the future. And the church-going form of faith can be a built-in social support network. This is not to say that atheists can't be happy, but it helps explain why so many do find happiness in faith and why researchers continue to find connections between faith, optimism, and physical health.

So it's no wonder that we in God's church should be the happiest people on earth, not the people that go to Disneyland. We should be the happiest people on earth. Now, when we go to Disneyland, that's just an added benefit. It is a pretty happy place. I remember they did the light show, and I thought that was the coolest thing. At night, they did this light show. It was awesome. So I'm not against going to Disneyland, but I'm grateful for all that God has given me when I'm not at Disneyland, because we have a good life.

Now, I'm not going to go to a lot of scriptures, but there are a lot of scriptures that talk about Thanksgiving. They talk about Psalm 50, for example, in verse 14 and 15, says that we should offer up to God Thanksgiving for all that He has done for us. There's a sacrifice of praise. Praising God and thanking God for all the blessings that He gives to us.

There are many scriptures. Psalm 105 talks about giving thanks unto the Lord. We should give thanks to God. It's in the Bible, and it makes sense. We should continually give thanks to God. Psalm 107 talks about offering the sacrifices of Thanksgiving for, again, all that God has blessed us with. Joel 2, verse 26, says, praise God, who has dealt wondrously with you. You know, praise Him for all that He does for you. Thank Him. Be grateful. Go out of your way. You know, it makes a difference when you tell God how thankful you are.

You know, don't think that doesn't make an impact. You know, when children come to their parents, and they truly thank them for giving them life, for giving them a bed to sleep in at night, for giving them food, for being grateful for a little toy that they've been given.

You know, doesn't that warm your hearts as parents? Aren't you grateful that you have a child who recognizes that these blessings come from the parents? No, it's the parents that look after children. You know, your parents that paid for your clothes that you're wearing today. They paid for the food that we're going to be eating. They paid for nearly everything that you have.

You owe to your parents, and your grandparents, perhaps, who give you gifts and things. So you should be very, very thankful to your parents. How much more should we be grateful to God who gives us every good gift? You know, God is the true giver. He gives us every good gift. There's a scripture that talks about God gives us every good thing. It's God that we should be thanking for the blessings that we have in life.

Psalm 103 talks about forgetting not all of God's benefits. It goes on for 10 verses, talking about not forgetting all the benefits that we have by following God. So I would encourage you to look up some of these scriptures. Google, get on your phone. I can do it. It's real easy. I've got e-sword on here. All I've got to do is pull it up, put Thanksgiving in there.

It gives me like 100 scriptures to read. It's so easy to study God's word today. It makes it so easy. If you're not using this tool or something similar, then you're missing out. You can do a lot of these studies very simply, and they can be very meaningful and helpful. Now, that reminds me of a story I heard not too long ago. There was an atheist, and this guy was walking through the woods, and he was admiring all the accidents that evolution had created.

What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals, he said. As he was walking alongside the river, though, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. Turning to look, he saw a seven-foot grizzly bear. Big old grizzly bear. And that grizzly bear was charging towards him. Well, of course, he ran away as fast as he could up the path, trying to get away from this bear. He looked over his shoulder. He saw the grizzly was coming. He was closing in on him. Somehow, he mustered up some energy and ran even faster, so scared that tears were coming down his eyes.

He was beginning to cry as he was running. He looked again, and the bear was even closer, closing in. His heart was pounding. He tried to run faster and faster, but he tripped. He fell to the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up, but the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw, and raising its right paw to strike him.

You know how bears go like that? Alright, so time stopped. Now, this was after the atheist cried out. He actually took God's name in vain. He said, oh my God. Now, this is an atheist. He doesn't even believe in God. Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. Even the river stopped moving. As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. You deny my existence for all these years. You teach others that I don't exist.

And you even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer now? The atheist looked directly into the light and said, I would feel like a hypocrite to become a Christian after all these years.

But perhaps you can make the bear a Christian. Very well, said the voice. The light went out. The river ran. The sounds of the forest resumed. Then the bear dropped his right paw. He brought both paws together, bowed his head, and spoke. Lord, for this meal I am about to receive, I am forever grateful.

I think it would be a terrible thing to be an atheist, personally. Can you even imagine not believing in an Almighty God who makes it splendor that we can enjoy as we visit national parks and just the awesomeness of God's creation? He would be a terrible thing to be grateful and not have anyone to thank, for example.

When I'm grateful, it's easy to know who to thank. Thank. Thank God for that. So there's a lot more that could be said about this topic. I'm going to try to be good and not take a full sermon time, even though I could. The Bible does talk to us about entering God's gates with thanksgiving, being thankful to Him.

1 Thessalonians 5, verse 18 says, Again, brethren, the key to being thankful is to dwell on what you've been given. And think of all the blessings that you have. Count your blessings. Name them one by one.

Some of you Protestants have heard that song. I remember singing that. I could still sing it today. I won't, but I could.

So be thankful again for all that you've been given. And as we have just very recently, and it hasn't been all that long ago, we celebrated another national day of thanksgiving.

Let's be careful to remember that every day should be a day of thanksgiving. Every moment should be a moment of thanksgiving.

So again, ask yourself, how truly happy am I? How truly thankful am I?

You will see a correlation because truly happy people are thankful people and truly thankful people are happy people. Also remember as well, the root cause of happiness is being truly thankful.