Human beings have for a long time been seeking for true happiness. Philosophers have tried to define what true happiness is but that didn’t and still does not help people to find true lasting happiness. People have gone to see psychiatrists, psychologists, sangomas, palm readers, people who read stars and all sorts of other people to try and find happiness but, true lasting happiness has eluded them each time. Many have shown that money does not buy true lasting happiness.
Knowing all of this, where and how then do we find true lasting happiness? What do you do if you want your car to perform at its best all the time without fail? Obviously, you drive and maintain it according to the specifications in the manufacturers manual. You do what the manufacturer says, and the car will perform.
Likewise, the only way human beings can be truly happy with lasting happiness, is to go back to their manufacturer and follow the specifications laid out in His manual. Who is the manufacturer? God is the manufacturer and His manual is the Bible. The Bible gives every human being clear guidelines on how to be truly happy. Let’s look at what the Bible says:
Psalms 1:1-3 (ESV Strong’s)
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
The above quoted Psalm begins with the words “Blessed is the man who“. The word blessed means happy. To be happy. Therefore this verse begins telling us what kind of a man is happy one. What follows the word “who“, describes the kind of man who is happy. The word man here represents both males and females. Let’s see what kind of a man is a happy man.
The psalmist, David, gives us what this happy man doesn’t do and what he instead does. What does he not do:
- He walks not in the counsel of the wicked
He doesn’t take advice from the ungodly
- He stands not in the way of sinners
He doesn’t establish himself and live the way those who break God’s law live
- He doesn’t sits in the seat of scoffers
He doesn’t join in with those who mock God’s law and laugh at it and ridicule it.
Please take note that the opposite is true. An unhappy man first takes advise from the ungodly, then it gets worse, he establishes himself and starts to live the way those who break God’s law lives, then it gets even worse and eventually, he joins with those who laugh at and makes fun of God’s law. It is a downward spiral and David says those who go down this road, are not happy and can’t find true happiness. But the one who is truly happy, becomes happy because, he has refused advice from the ungodly, he has rejected their way of life and refuses to make fun of God’s law.
Instead what a happy man does, is:
- He delights in the law of the Lord
Take pleasure in, and desire and find joy in the law or instructions of God, that is, he takes pleasure in, and desire and find joy in the Bible.
- On his law he meditates day and night
He reads and seeks guidance from God’s law all the time. That is from the Bible.
Please take note that an unhappy person doesn’t want anything to do with The Bible. He never reads it and doesn’t believe anything good can come out of it. But a happy person takes pleasure in reading the Bible all the time, seeking guidance from the very word of God.
Then in verse 3 David compares this happy person with a tree planted by streams of water, a tree that produces fruit in its season and a tree whose leafs doesn’t fall off. Take note that this tree did not plant itself but was carried along by streams and finally planted by the streams. Secondly, also take note that a tree does not produce fruits for itself but for others to eat. Thirdly, this tree produces its fruit only at the right time. Lastly, this tree never dries up, that is, it never runs out of water. The streams that planted it, sustain the tree. This tree is completely dependent on the stream to produce its fruit at the right time, all the time.
The same thing with a happy person, he is carried along by God and placed just at the right place, where God, at the right time, will be able through him, to produce good works that will benefit others. This happy person will never fail to produce the works of God, because God sustains him. This happy person is completely dependent on God to continue to produce good works for the benefit of others.
Lastly, David says this happy person prospers in all he does. This has nothing to do with being rich but in the context, this means that this happy person always succeeds in producing the kind of work, that God is doing through Him for others, not for himself.
This is a person who is truly happy. A truly happy person rejects all ungodliness and sinfulness, and rejects all advises from those who are sinful and ungodly, and spends his time in the word of God and seeks guidance from God’s word. A happy person, truly happy, is a person whom God can use for His own purposes, wherever and whenever He wills.
You want to be happy, then take pleasure in God’s word and seek guidance from it, then God will be able to use you. You would have achieved true happiness. Other than that, you will always seek for true lasting happiness and you will never find it.
How do we live such a godly life that God can begin to use us? In other words, how do I stop taking advise from sinners, how do I stop living like sinners do, and how do I stop mocking the word of God? It’s starts at the cross. We must repent and put our trust in Jesus Christ.
How do we repent and put our faith in Jesus Christ? We can’t!, because both repentance and faith are a gift from God. So, the only thing we can do, is to ask God for mercy and to grant us these gifts.
Are you the type of person God can use? Ask God for mercy.