Recently an article appeared in the popular press listing the richest people in Britain today. Heading the list was a foreign businessman, who has an estimated fortune of some 1.7 billion pounds.
Many would see such a man as being possibly one of the happiest men in the world. Certainly it would appear that having such financial riches would be the solution to most of life's problems for any individual.
Experience shows however, that this may not necessarily be the case. John B. Rockafeller, a well known American millionare in his day, said, "I have made many millions, but they have brought me little real happiness. I would barter them all for the days I sat on an office stool in Cleveland and counted myself rich on 3 dollars a week." Broken in health, he latterly employed an armed guard for personal safety.
Henry Ford, the automobile king, said, "Work is my real pleasure. It is only work that keeps me alive, and makes life worth living. I was happiest when doing a mechanic's job." Andrew Carnegie, the multi-millionaire Scotsman and a great philanthropist, once said, "Millionaires seldom smile."
It would appear, then, that happiness is not always to be found in possessing great wealth.
For some, real happiness is to be found in fame, for others power and authority and for some in the pursuit of pleasure and high living. However, yet again, experience teaches that these may not bring lasting happiness.
God's Word, the Bible, is very instructive in what it says about happiness. For example, we read in Psalm 146 v 5 - "Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God." In Psalm 32, David, the great King of Israel said that true blessedness (or happiness) is found in the favour or grace of God, which is shown freely to sinners such as we all are. This grace of God is that which brings salvation to everyone who by faith believes.
Little wonder then that David, one of the greatest kings who ever lived, said, "Blessed or happy is he whose sins are forgiven."
