Dr Johnson T.K. Lim (PhD, University of Queensland)

• Director of BICC
•  Scholar- preacher, Homiletician, Lecturer and author/editor of about 50 books on diverse genres.

To learn more about this exciting and expanding organization and all their programmes and activities (English and Chinese), see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrs5q7Wy2fg  or type Global Reachout Intro 2020 in YouTube. Or you may visit their website: https://www.global-reachout.org/zh-hans   to be informed, inspired and impacted.

Introduction

One of the greatest kings, if not the greatest who ever ruled this earth is not other than king Solomon (1011-931BC). His reign was known as the golden age. He established Jerusalem as his capital city. His fame, wisdom, power and wealth  were widely  known in the Ancient  Near East..

• Wisdom - "Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt " (Kings 4:29-30). For he was wiser than all men ...; and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations. (1 Kings 4:31). Read 1 Kings 3: 116-28 how Solomon used his wisdom to settle a dispute between two women who claimed ownership of the son. 
• Wealth - "Solomon received twenty-five tons of gold annually. This was above and beyond the taxes and profit on trade with merchants and traders. All kings of Arabia and various and assorted governors also brought silver and gold to Solomon. The king made a massive throne of ivory with a veneer of gold. The throne had six steps leading up to it with an attached footstool of gold. King Solomon’s chalices and tankards were made of gold, and all the dinnerware and serving utensils in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver; silver was considered common and cheap in the time of Solomon."  Read 2 Chronicles 9:13-21 for more details.
• Wives and women - According to the Bible, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The wives are described as foreign princesses, including Pharaoh's daughter and women of Moab, Ammon, Sidon and of the Hittites. These wives are depicted as leading Solomon away from Yahweh toward idolatry (1 Kings 11:1-3)
• Weaponry -"Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen " (1 Kings 4:26). Chariots were to ancient warfare what the tank is to   modern warfare.  gave both an increased mobility and an exceptional striking force.

His other accomplishments include the composition of 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs . (1 Kings 4:32)  He built as a magnificent the temple known as the Solomonic temple His reign was called the Golden Age. The citizens prospered and there was peace and stability in the country. (1 Kings 4:25). The Extent of his rule was wide and far -  " Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life." (1 Kings 4:21). He reigned in Jerusalem  about  40 years and died natural causes at around 80 years of age.

With fame and fortune, wisdom and wealth,  power and people,  strategic advanced weaponry  and military might, many wives and concubines, he should have been the happiest man on earth.  He had everything a king could have ever wanted. We would have expected him to tell us how happy he was. Instead we read with great shock recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes (traditionally ascribed to King Solomon who reigned over Israel about 970-931 BC) as he was nearing the end of his life. This is what he said:

 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless" (Ecclesiastes 1:8; NIV). That word in Hebrew is "hebel"  which means "breath or vapor. English words that have been used include  "pointless", "vanity",  "futility", "absurdity", and "uselessness." Put it another way, "nothing is worthwhile; everything is futile" (TLB).  

So we learn one important but hard truth from the wisest and wealthiest king speaking form years of experiences that possessions, prosperity, prestige, properties and even having many  wives and concubines do not equate happiness. He was right!

What Happiness Does Not Depend on

According to past and present philosophers, great teachers, religious books, happiness does not depend on the following:

• Money or possessions. You often hear the phrase, "If I could have enough money I would be happy." The question with that statement is, "How much is enough?" The answer is, "Just a little bit more." Moreover, if money   is the primary key to happiness, why are there many people with money but are not happy? There are celebrities with money but chose to take their own lives. Moreover, if money is the index of happiness, how do you explain people who are not rich yet happy? In a word, happiness cannot be bought. Wealth has little to do with it. "A person is rich or poor according to what he or she is, not according to what he or she has"  (Henry Ward Beecher)
• Good education, a university degree, awards, titles, etc. People who are illiterate, no degrees or titles can be happy. 
• Outward circumstances or achievements.

What Does Happiness Depend on?

Happiness begins with a positive attitude and not so much on your Aptitude. Without a right attitude, it is difficult to be happy. Indeed, happiness does not depend on what is your position in the world, the condition you are in, what jobs you do, nor how much possession or properties you have. Rather, happiness is dependent on your disposition.  There are many things people may rob you of but there is only one thing that is truly yours which no one can steal from you is your disposition.

This is a fact: Change your disposition, and you will change your condition. Change your attitude and you will change your altitude. Therefore, happiness is about your attitude or disposition. Happy living depends on changing your inlook and you will change your outlook. "The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes" (William James). If you want your life to improve, you must improve yourself. To want to improve your circumstances without improving yourself is not possible.

If you begin to realize that it is your attitude that affects the way you live, act and respond, your response to situations will be different. You are free to choose, but never the consequences. It has been correctly said that every morning when you wake up, you have 2 choices? You have the choice to enjoy or hate life. Start living today by adopting a positive attitude and see what happiness brings.

A happy person is not a person in a set of circumstances, but rather a person with a set of attitudes (Hugh Downs).

Happiness is an attitude.  We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong.  The amount of work is the same (Francesca Reigler).

Those who wish to sing, always find a song (Swedish Proverb).

The only difference between a good day and  a bad day is your attitude ( Dennis Brown)

Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response" (Mildred Barthel)