Monday, June 26, 2017
It has been said that a lot can be known about a person by the things that makes him or her happy. In a devotional from a favorite pastor of mine last week, I read about a man of modest income who told his wealthy friend “I have more than you have.” The rich man said “How can that be?” He answered “Because I have all I want, and you don’t.” Jesus said: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21) I know some of you may have a hard time believing it, but all of you are happier than most millionaires because money alone will never make anyone happy. A well known comedian once said “Money isn’t everything, but it is way ahead of whatever it is that’s in second place.” It may have been a funny line, but there is no truth in it. Jack Ma, the richest man in China told a luncheon crowd in New York in 2015 that he was happiest when he made 12 dollars a month. Think about this: If you had one pick, would you want to be rich or would you want to be happy?
Solomon, perhaps the richest man the world has ever known, had everything a heart could long for in this world. Yet, he wrote: “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:11) The Amplified Bible (AMP) says it this way: “There was no profit (nothing of lasting value) under the sun.”
If the goals we set for ourselves are on things that are good and reasonable, it won’t be that hard to find happiness. If we want money or material things, will we ever have enough? On the other hand, if things such as giving what we have, or helping others, or spending time with our family and friends, or accomplishing simple chores make us happy, there will be a lot of happiness in our lives. Sometimes we are blessed enough to have all of these events on the same day. My wife and I had one recently. That night, during my quiet time with the Lord, I just couldn’t stop thanking and praising Him for it. Oh happy day! I believe these are the things a genuine child of God looks for in this life in the first place, and I also believe that few people in the world can be happier than us. And I also believe this is what David had in mind when he wrote: “Happy are the people who are in such a state; happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” (Psalm 144:15) What makes you happy? Whatever it is, child of God, I hope you will see many, many happy days.
God’s word for today (Proverbs 16:20) “He who heeds the Word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.”
