Are You Happy?

Proverbs 3: 13 – Happy is the man that finds wisdom and the man that gets understanding.

    The world is searching for happiness and unfortunately, it may be more elusive than people would like to admit. God, however, offers happiness to us as a result, not as a goal. The man who finds wisdom is happy because wisdom solves problems; it brings answers to perplexing situations. Wisdom gives insight into the why of a thing. Why am I in this trouble? Why is my financial situation like it is, or my marriage and family? Why do I keep making poor choices? Wisdom answers the question of why and it gives insight into reasons and causes. It also answers the how of a circumstance, or situation. How am I going to resolve this difficulty? How are we going to overcome this challenge? How am I going to change?

    Notice that this verse does not say, wise is the man that finds happiness; it says, happy is the man that finds wisdom. Wisdom is to be our life quest, not happiness. Like anything of true value, wisdom must be found; it must be discovered, but first, it must be desired. Wisdom comes to those who desire it and have the right motive for wanting it. Wisdom isn’t just going to bring a change to our circumstances; it will bring a change to us first; it changes our thinking, our values, and our choices.

    Instead of pursuing what I think is the answer or the solution, I need to pursue wisdom and then let wisdom dictate to me the steps to take which will solve the problem. Someone has once said that all problems are wisdom problems, meaning that we usually get into them through a lack of wisdom and conversely, wisdom will lead us out of them. God’s wisdom answers every need of man and it goes right to the root of the trouble. Most people only want relief from the pressure of a difficult situation and God is indeed merciful and will bail us out, however, if we are bailed out once, we will most likely need many more instances of rescue from our continued poor choices. If we want any kind of lasting change, we, ourselves, must change. Diets alone don’t work; a change of eating patterns does. Simply attending a rehabilitation program doesn’t work; a change in thought patterns does. Financial consolidation, by itself, doesn’t work; a change in spending patterns does. Joining a gym doesn’t work; a change in exercise patterns does.

    The man that finds wisdom is happy because he finally feels like he is on the right path and even though things may be hard and the road may be uphill, he is happy because he is heading in the right direction and knows that he will eventually get to where he is going. To pursue God’s wisdom is to align ourselves with His plan and purpose and that gives great meaning and fulfillment to our everyday lives. His wisdom puts us on the journey of a higher destiny and produces a sense of peace and contentment which no amount of money or worldly treasure could give us.

    You may not be able to see your wisdom-answers because they are hidden, but just as parents hide things before their children go on a treasure hunt, they are not hidden from you, they are hidden for you. Wisdom-treasures await all those who seek. Happy is the man that finds wisdom. Are you happy?

God's View of Greatness

Matthew 18:4 – Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.

    God’s idea of greatness and the process for obtaining it are vastly different from this world’s idea. First, it is important to realize that He is not against greatness. The disciples asked Him, ‘Who is the greatest?’ If aspiring to greatness were wrong, He would have immediately corrected them. He might have said something like this, ‘Now boys, you should know better, everyone is equal in the kingdom of God, no one is greater than another.’ However, He did not correct them. He did not brush off the idea of greatness. The kingdom of Heaven is not a uniform, bland and mindless community, but it is a progressive, innovative, and productive society. Please do not misunderstand me; we are all precious to God and equal in value, but we are not and never shall be, equal in roles, function, or capabilities. We all have amazing potential, but those who are the greatest are those who accept responsibility, take the initiative, and use what they have been given.

    This verse is teaching us that even though the idea of greatness is not wrong, quite often our definition of greatness and our motives for greatness are wrong. The prophet Jeremiah once asked the question, ‘Are you seeking great things for yourself?’, and then he commanded, ‘Seek them not.’ Jesus said that humility is the pathway to greatness. So, instead of focusing on being great and our status in life, we should focus on humility and our service in life and give that a place of priority in our lives.

    Humility is one of those qualities that we do not hear much about, even though it is essential for building a solid foundation for life. What is humility? Among other things, it is surrendering to the will of God and His plan no matter what process it takes you through. Joseph’s life is a good example of that. His humility and the will of God took him from the deep pit to the harsh prison and then to the luxurious palace. Joseph surrendered and accepted subservient tasks, but he also must have had the humility to accept the huge responsibility of promotion, when it finally came. Someone has said that our greatest fear may not be failure but success, because with success comes larger responsibilities. With failure comes sympathy from others and our own rationalization that says, ‘Oh well, I tried.’ When God spoke to Moses about approaching Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to demand the release of the Israelites, Moses resisted out of some form of what we might call humility, but God was less than impressed. Moses had to surrender his own agenda and accept with humility the high place of responsibility that God had asked him to take.

    Childishness is a trait that holds us back from growth and it desperately needs to be removed from our lives, but childlikeness is the key to the kingdom of Heaven. Little children have much to teach us, they are open to new ideas and suggestions; they do not say, ‘I know that already.’ Children are teachable which means that they are without pride. If humility is the path to greatness, then pride must be the path to diminishment and destruction. Pride is the great hindrance to our advancement in God’s plan and purpose. Pride is resisted by God, humility is reinforced.

    I once heard the story of how a man drove into a small town and inquired of an older man who was sitting outside the general store, ‘Were there any great men born in this town?’ The old man didn’t even look up as he responded, ‘Nope. Only babies’. Greatness is not something you are born with; greatness is developed. Just as a seed carries within it possibilities of growth and productivity, so, God has given each of us the potential to be great. Use what you have been given, no matter how small it may seem. Sow the seeds that you have in your hand. Plant it. Nurture it. Trust God and watch it grow into something great!