Articles
The Truly Happy Person
The one universal desire of every man, woman, and child is to be happy. There is not a person you talk to who says they just do not want to be happy. Fortunately for mankind, our Creator who knows what is best for us, communicated to us through King David how to acheive that state of happiness: "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the cousel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers." (Psalm 1:1-3)
Those who are Unhappy
David expresses happiness first in the negative. Notice three things that happy people avoid. First of all, happy people do not, "walk in the counsel of the wicked." All people have sinned (Romans 3:23). Those who sin begin by heeding the advice of wicked people. There is wicked counsel to sin everywhere we turn. Role models set before our eyes call us to give in to the desires of our flesh. There is an old saaying that goes, "Misery loves company." Miserable wicked people love company, too. They want you to be as miserable as they are. So they counsel you to live the way they live.
Secondly, unhappy people "stand in the path of sinners." At this point, those who have heeded to "the counsel of the wicked" begin to habitually practice that which is wicked. It becomes a life style, not a mistake for which we immediately repent and pray for forgiveness. This will make a person even more miserable than before.
Thirdly, those "who stand in the path of sinners" eventually "sit in the seat of scoffers." Darkness hates the light and is therfore scornful towards those walking in light. Those who have hardened their hearts against God are hateful towards righteous, happy people. Whenever that hate envelopes our lives we truly become miserable people.
Notice the progression: First a person "walks" in the counsel of the wicked. Next, they become stagnate in their evil ways as they "stand" in the path of the sinners. Finally when they become content in their misery, they "sit" in the seat of scoffers. When we flirt with sin, we eventually find ourselves in the mire of its unhappy consequences.
Those who are happy
But notice that mental state of those who are happy. Happiness is a state of mind, not a state of affairs nor a station in life. For the truly happy person, "his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he mediates day and night." Instead of delighting in sin, the law of the Lord is his delight. Therefore, Christians are taught to refrain from participating "in the unfruitful deeds of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11), "abhor what is evil" and "cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9), "abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22), and avoid evil companions who corrupt "good morals" (1 Corinthians 15:33). Christians cannot delight in the law of the Lord and participate in sin. Nor should Christians have the stomach to entertain the thought of evil which is so prevalent in the movies, soap operas, and sitcoms appearing in the homes of people all over the world. How can a child of God delight and meditate in the law of the Lord while watching others fornicate in a love story on TV or on the movie theater sceen? It is impossible!
The Reason These are Happy
David also reveals four reasons why those who delight in the law of the Lord are happy. First of all, they are like a firmly planted tree, not a wild tree. This one is chosen of the Lord, a special tree that He cares for, cultivates, fertilizes, prunes and loves.
Secondly, they are happy because they are planted by "streams of water." There is an overabundance from which to drink and be nourished. The Lord feeds His children so that they may never fail as long as they delight in His law. Therefore, His "trees" grow big and strong. They stand strong in this present age against sin. In the age to come, they receive eternal life.
Next, the people who delight in God's law are happy because they ae fruitful. The season for Christians to bear fruit is everlasting (Galatians 5:16-26). Unless a Christian turns to the counsel of the wicked, he continually bears the fruit of the Spirit. His fruit never fades away. His leaf never withers away.
Finally, whatever these people do shall prosper. Godly men doing godly things always prosper. Why? Because goldy men do not judge themselves according to the flesh and its "rewards". Instead, goldy men judge themselves according to spiritual prosperity. Jesus promised His disciples that they would be provided with all of the necessites of this life (Matthew 6:34). Therefore, they are free from worry. This contentment breeds happiness.
The Road to Happiness
If all of this sounds like what you want, you may wonder, "How do I start on this road to happiness?" You start by allwoing the word of God to make chnages in your life. The first step toward happiness is becoming a Christian. Then happiness is living as a child of God,a ccording to His word, and bearing the fruit of the Spirit. To sum it up, happiness is becoming and remaining a faithful child of God. The Psalmist write these words three thousnds years ago, and they are tried and true. If you want the same happiness that he described in Psalm 1, make the appropriate changes today.
