Blessed is every one that fears the LORD; that walks in His ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands; happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Psalms 128:1-2, KJV

I became a daily Bible reader over forty years ago, and I have never regretted that investment of time for I believe it has paid handsome dividends far in excess of anything I could have imagined. It's like having invested in Bitcoin at $300 and waking up ten years later to find it worth over $100,000. The good thing about the benefits from God's Word is that no harm comes from its blessings, and the profits are not taxable.

An even better discovery was one I made some twenty years ago, when I decided to add to my daily habit of reading by beginning the day with one of the Psalms or a chapter from the Book of Proverbs. Talk about maximizing your investment! For one to five minutes of reading the first thing in the morning, I get a thought that I can take about with me for the rest of the day. It's far better than the newspaper or the stuff you hear on TV, for it is pleasant to the soul and beneficial to mankind. When, if ever, have you thought that about the news you get from today's sources?

This morning's passage is a great example: It starts with a promise of happiness and well-being to every single person who desires these blessings. All one has to do to get them is to fear God and walk in His ways. Admittedly, it is a big thing to fear God and to live in the way that He wants. It means we will first have to love and respect Him enough to find out what His ways are. Then we will have to make an adjustment or two to our lifestyle in order to walk in these ways. For some, these changes will be minor, for others of us it will necessitate a new way of living and a new way of thinking. But, regardless of the efforts needed, the results are worth it. 

After all, where else can you get a guarantee of a happy life that is backed by the full faith and credit of God Himself?

Just think about it for a moment: Are you happy? Is everything well with your life? I'm not asking if everything is happening exactly as you planned, and I'm not even suggesting that your days will not contain a certain amount of hard times and sorrow. What I am suggesting though is that God will not let you down, not one time, not ever! And while He will not bubble wrap your life in such a way as to never let you fall and scrape a knee from time to time, what He will do is give you a set of life instructions that are perfect, and He will help you through the times of pain so that you will not have to deal with them alone.

The overall result of this will be a happy life, and the effect of this happy life will be peace and contentment. For those of you who might scoff at this, let me just say that I had scoffed too when I was a younger man. I rejected His ways for the "wisdom" of my own and it didn't work out so well. But, like the prodigal son who finally came to his senses, when I came to mine, I discovered that God's way really does work, and it really does make me happy. For those who would disagree, I am sorry for the grief that you have coming - and you will have grief coming indeed. But for those of you who have tried it God's way, you know. And that knowledge has brought you a good life!

And for me, that good life has been greatly enhanced by just taking a moment or two at the beginning of each day to read from God's Word and get direction. It sounds too simple, I know, but don't knock it until you have tried it. And, having tried that perfect way, don't forget to take on more moment to offer Him thanksgiving for the great blessings that you have received. God is good!