Have you ever wondered about what God teaches us the most in Scripture?  The Bible talks a lot about love both for God and others.  It speaks a lot about the Kingdom of God.  We are often told about how to treat others.  Would you believe that the most common command in the Bible is actually a command to be happy?  This is actually mentioned more often than any other topic.  This does not mean that is the most important topic in the Bible but it is significant that it is the most repeated.  We are told this in a variety of ways – “rejoice” , “have hearts filled with joy”, “give thanks”, “do not fear”, “do not worry”.  These are all aimed at our happiness.  The key to that happiness is obviously God and His word.  Let’s look together at Psalm 19 where David speaks about this. 

The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple. 

The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.

For David this happiness comes from God’s word.  It refreshes his soul, and brings joy to his heart.  It gives him clear sight and is more precious than gold.  The Bible does not tell us to hedonistically seek our own pleasure in happiness.  It tells us that when we seek God and His word we will find happiness there.  This does not trivialize the many challenges and hard times that we will inevitably all face in life.  It just means that our loving God is there to be our happy place in the midst of the storms of life.  So today and every day be happy!  God tells you to.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave