The Happiest People on Earth

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.

 “How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

“Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us;

 “There is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.” (Psa 40:3-5)

Journal,

When our grandkids were much younger, I would gather them around and tell Bible stories. The one I loved the most would begin sort of like this …

“A long, long, time ago, in a land far away was a shepherd boy named David.”

Their eyes would sparkle as I shared the story of David’s encounter with Goliath. But one grandson in particular seemed to be the most captivated. The moment I began with, ‘A long, long, time ago’, Hunter’s whole being became part of the story. It was as though he was living it.

Oh, if we could but see through the eyes of a child.

Let’s talk about…

The Wonderful World of Faith

Don’t you think that we need to learn to live the story and not just tell it?

Although I am seventy-three years of age, it seems that the impressionable heart of a child has never left me. (I am still naïve in so many ways.)

My first memory of entering a church tells the tale. I was about nine years old. The very moment I walked in the door of the church with my grandparents, I was captured.

I found everything about church to be scary, exhilarating, exciting, enthralling beautiful, and all at the same time. The preacher could set my hair straight up with his scary stories.

But it was wonderful. The people were beautiful. Think I fell in love with my Sunday School teacher.

My point in all this is simple. Children see differently. They have undefined imaginations. They don’t see evil. They are trusting and innocent. And this is what the Lord wants all his children to become.

Believe it or not, what I have described is the wonderful world of faith.

Listen to these Scriptures –

“And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.’” (Mat 18:2-3)

“O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me.” (Psa 131:1-2)

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.” (Php 2:14-15)

Now let’s talk about…

God’s Works of Wonder

God’s prophets of old told the stories. They used a spiritual paint brush to paint the stories of the majesty of God, and of His Messiah.

They said that the Messiah would not only be a wonder, but He would do works of wonder. He would be so wonderful that ‘Wonderful’ would belong to His name.

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6)

What did Jesus do? He opened blind eyes, raised the dead, cured every kind of disease, controlled the weather, multiplied loaves and fish, and He loved with a love that cannot even be defined in worldly terms.

Jesus never changes …

So, why did Jesus come into our world? Did he not come to give us something the world was unable to give.

Jesus came to give us a wonderful life, a life of wonder.

Not a life without trials. Not a life without suffering. He came to give us a life that He Himself would fill out. He came to be with us always, from our earthly walk to our heavenly home.

“For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Php 3:18-21)

Jesus came to fix the unfixable. He came to fill out our lives with heaven’s life.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Joh 10:10)

“It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” (1Ti 1:15)

“The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” (1Jn 3:7-8)

Now let’s talk about…

The Happiest People on Earth

The happiest people on earth are always those who live for Jesus with passion. And the key to a passionate life with Jesus is to never lose your childlike faith in Him.

Children don’t have limitations on their faith. Their eyes sparkle when you tell them stories about Jesus. Do your eyes still sparkle?

The happiest people on earth are those who have a heart like David’s heart. When you read the Psalms of David, you hear everything from sorrow to joy, from troubles to victories.

But the one thing you will always hear is David’s passion for the Lord.

Psalm 34 is a great place to see David’s heart –

“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; the humble will hear it and rejoice.

“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

“They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the LORD, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want.

“The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.

“Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

“The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

“The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken.

“Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.” (Psa 34:1-22)[/note]

Can you see it? David never lost his childlike faith. 

How about you? Ask the Lord to help you to live a childlike life. Ask Him to help put the sparkle in your eyes. Ask Him to help you to live the stories of Jesus, and not just talk about them.

The Lord may like a word with you.

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