Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

You live in a world where people talk about the importance of being happy. People do things because they desire to be happy. People purchase possessions because they think possessions will make them happy. People get married because they think that a spouse will make them happy. People have hobbies because they think those activities will make them happy.

Nonetheless, in this passage we see that happiness can be found for those who find wisdom and gain understanding. Solomon goes on to show us that gaining wisdom and understanding is better than gold, more precious than rubies, long life, riches and honor all do not compare with the obtaining of wisdom and understanding. The understanding that Solomon is talking about here is the understanding that comes from the mouth of God, (Proverbs 2:6).

You can pursue after riches, honor, and long life, but these things cannot compare with the blessings that you will receive if you hear the voice of God. Think about it, God desires to talk with you and show you the way that you are to go. However, we crowd out our lives with the things of this world. We are more concerned with making money, making new friends, or doing acts of service for those who are in our lives, that those things can never bring true happiness if you are not in the center of the will of God.

Think about the stories found in the Bible. Most of them are about individuals who heard directly from God and the benefits that occurred in their lives. You probably grew up admiring the faith of David and Abraham, admiring the courage of Moses and Daniel, and impressed with the purity of Joseph and Ruth. The Bible is full of individuals who were ordinary, but when God called, they did extraordinary things. Gideon was just a farmer until God called him to be a great warrior, Elisha was just a farmer until God called him to be a prophet, David was just a shepherd boy until God called him to be king.

Hearing God is an important part of your life if you desire to find true happiness. God is speaking to you, but the question is whether you have removed the distractions from your life so that you can hear HIM. There are many people out there who claim to love God, but they treat God worse than they would every treat a close friend. In the same way that you make time for your friends so that you can develop the relationship, you also need to make time for God so that you can hear HIM talking to you. If you cannot hear the voice of God, how do you expect to obtain knowledge of the ways of God and how HE desires you to live?

God will speak to you in many ways. God spoke to Samuel in an auditable voice while he spoke to Esther through her uncle. God desires to have daily communion with you like HE had with Adam and Eve before they chose to do that which was right in their own eyes rather than follow the direction of God. God love you so much that HE sent HIS only Son to die for your sins so that the fellowship HE had with Adam and Eve can be restored with you. God desires to have fellowship with you, but do you desire to have fellowship with HIM?

Many Christians are afraid of the unknown. As such, they think that they are content living their lives under their own control and simply acknowledging God. However, there is great happiness and joy that belongs to those who are willing to seek the perfect will of God. As you do that which is right in the eyes of God, God can bless you and cause HIS face to shine upon you.

Matthew 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

All around you people are trying to find purpose for their life. They are looking for happiness in relationships, in material possessions and in occupations. However, the harder they try, the more they fail to find true peace for their lives. It does not matter what they do they are never content.

Those who are of the world fail to realize that as long as they are a slave to sin, they will never find the true meaning for their life. However, all they have to do is accept Christ’s gift of salvation and they can be freed from the chains that enslave them. By accepting Christ’s gift of salvation, you no longer were a slave to sin but became a servant of God. It is your choice to do that which is right in the eyes of God.

The old man that you replaced when you became a servant of God is constantly trying to entangle you. As long as he can cause you to live for yourself, you will not have the time to seek the things of God. The old man will never stop trying to cause you to sin and fall short of the glory of God.

The harder you are tempted to live your life for yourself, the more you need to turn to God and relinquish your right to control your own life. In order to truly find life, you must realize that you must lose your life and follow Jesus. It is only when you choose to be a servant of God and to do HIS will that you find the true meaning of life which will give you peace, happiness and contentment.

It sounds so counterintuitive that you must give up your life in order to find it. However, Jesus demonstrated this principle when HE revealed to us that it was not HIS desire to die on the cross. Nonetheless, Jesus was willing to do the will of the Father and by relinquishing HIS right to do what HE wanted the true purpose of HIS life was fulfilled.

A child is naturally selfish and desires to do what he wants when he wants. However, a good parent understands that if their child is going to become a productive member of society, then they must train him to do things that she would rather not do. The child must learn to give up his free time in order to do chores. The child must learn that manners are important in a polite society. Unless the child is willing to trust his parents and do what they say, the child will never be prepared to live life in the world and as a result will never have real life. Just as a child must learn to trust his parents and lay aside his desires in order to do the will of his parents, so too must you trust God and lay aside your own desires for your life in order to do the will of God so that you will be prepared for life in eternity with HIM.

You must understand that you do not know it all. You do not know what God has in store for you. Until you are willing to relinquish control over your life, your sin nature will ensure that you never have life. You must add virtue to your life and change your perspective. Just as a parent will often control the life of their child in order to ensure that their child lives a productive life, so too you must choose to follow God’s will for your life and trust in HIM so that in the end you will find your purpose in life.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught you to “seek and ye shall find”. However, the real question is, what are you supposed to seek that you are guaranteed to find. Christ did not mean that if you seek to find a hidden earthly treasure that you are guaranteed to find it just because you are looking for it. Instead, what Christ was teaching is that if you seek first the things of God, than you will find them. If you seek God’s righteousness surely you will find it. If you seek God’s will for your life, God will reveal it to you.

It is not your job to spend your time seeking the things of this world because Jesus teaches you that the things of this world are corrupt and will be destroyed. Instead, it is your job to put God first in your life and to seek how you are to live your life here on this earth for HIS glory.

You can seek high and low in this world happiness and contentment. Nonetheless, you will never find what you are seeking until you change your perspective and start looking for the things of God. If you change your perspective and begin to focus you time, talent and treasures upon the will of God, God will be able to give you that which you have been looking for all along. The reason you could not find happiness and contentment was because you were looking for it in the wrong place.

Everything has a purpose. Think of a Lego set. This Lego set comes with a plan that if you follow the plan, you will be able to make the object depicted on the box. However, now imagine the Lego set having a will of its own and the Lego set arbitrarily deciding that it was going to make itself into whatever it wanted to be. Rather than be the plane it decided it was going to be a ship. It does not matter how long or how hard the Lego set works, it will never be truly complete until it puts aside its will and begins to follow the plans that were laid out for it. If it follows the Master plan, every piece will be used and every piece will fit to perfection combining together to make something greater.

You must change your perspective if you desire to find true happiness. Jesus commanded that if you lay aside your own yoke and put on HIS’ yoke that you would find rest. The reason you will find rest is because you will not have to look any more for those things that give you happiness. Instead, because you are instep with the will of God, you will understand what God desires you to do next and you can do it. As long as you stay in the yoke with Christ, you will be in a position that you can do great things for God. However, as soon as you decide that you can find more happiness on your own, you will be pulling your own burden and you will be unable to find that which you are seeking.

Seeking the things of God requires a change of perspective in your life. Adding virtue to your life is the tool that is necessary so as to give you the inward strength to put aside the temptations of this world in order to seek for the things of God. The world, the flesh, and the devil desire to distract your attention from the things of God, but instead, through Christ you can overcome the world and learn to focus your mind upon those things that are pleasing to God. By adding virtue to your life and learning to focus upon the things of God, God will be able to bless you and give you what you really desire.