GOOD AND HAPPY!
Proverbs 16: 20 NKJV
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.
I know the title of this devotional sounds like clickbait, but it's straight from Scripture. How many people in life are looking for something good? How many people are striving to be happy? Here is a short verse that addresses both areas.
The verse is short, but the application is a process that lasts a lifetime. Heeding the word wisely is another way of saying a person looking to apply God's Word to their life. To put God's Word into practice. In the first chapter of the book of Joshua, God instructed Joshua to meditate on the word of God so that he could know how to implement God's words into his life. The promise from God was that if Joshua would in effect heed the word wisely, he would "make his way prosperous and find good success." That sounds like a whole lot of good.
Jesus told His followers that if they would continue in His word, or heed His word wisely, they would know the truth, and the truth would make them free. Freedom is good. In the first chapter of the Book of James, we are told that doers of the word or those who heed, pay attention, to God's Word will be blessed in what they do. Blessed is good.
Always keep in mind that we are constantly learning and growing in how to "heed the word wisely." I know more today and am practicing more of God's Word today than I did years ago. The key is to start with what you know and practice that. We see more light as we walk in the light.
The second thing our verse for today tells us is that the person who trusts in the Lord is happy! Paul wrote to the believers in Rome and told them there was joy and peace in believing. The more we trust, the more we believe, the happier we are. The more we trust, the less we are influenced by what is taking place in us and around us. Paul told the Philippian church that he was staying on earth for their advancement and joy of faith. When we trust in a God that we believe is good and will be good to us, then we can be happy independently of circumstances. For the world that does not know or acknowledge God, they are dependent on the environment around them or something good happening to them in order to be happy. That happiness typically does not last long. But as we trust in the Lord, we have a consistent joy in our spirits that nothing on the outside can change!
PRAYER
Lord, I trust You, and I trust and practice Your word in my life. Thank You for the good coming my way and a happiness no one can spoil.