February 23

Everyone wants to be happy. Although each of us may perceive the attainment of that enviable goal in different ways, there are a few basic things we’d all include in our happiness equation. Good health and rewarding activities in which to engage along with satisfying personal relationships are “must haves” on everybody’s list.

Beyond that are the assorted financial independence and prestige and acclaim we might enjoy, but in the ultimate sense, although these can certainly make life comfortable and pleasant, there is something the Word specifies that is essential to that sense of well-being that all mankind would like to enjoy.

In Psalm 32:2 it says, “Blessed (happy) is the man whose sin is forgiven, to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,” and this simple statement is the foundation of a life of well-being. Indeed, it is the keystone of a blessed eternity! It is so essential that the entirety of the Bible and the total focus of Christ’s sojourn on earth are rooted in man’s need for cleansing, for man’s need for forgiveness from sin.

The Word does not tell us that we need to be sin-free in order to be happy. Indeed it acknowledges that none among us are righteous in the eyes of our holy God. But He has provided a way for us to be justified of all the sin we’ve ever indulged. By receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we are washed, we are made clean, we are given the opportunity to have true happiness in life and to reign with Christ in eternity.