My dear readers,

Find Good, Be Happy!

Proverbs 16:20: “He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.”

“… there is none good but one, that is God.” These words of the Lord Jesus Christ are found in Matthew 19:16-24: “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (cf. Mark 10:17-25; Luke 18:18-25 for parallel accounts.)

The definition of “good” by the Lord is: good enough to enter heaven. Only when a person possesses the goodness of God will he be allowed to enter heaven. There is the commonly acknowledged goodness of man all over the world when a good deed is done to fellow human beings or even animals or nature. But these good deeds are very relative as far as man’s perspective of goodness is concerned. Some will see certain actions as good and others might not. The yardstick used to measure man’s standard of goodness is very subjective. It could be the size of a monetary donation or the degree of abject poverty that prompted the help or the scope of help rendered which might be global. These subjective levels of goodness are all rendered by the sin-stained hands of man and therefore, as far as God is concerned, it is not good. It is definitely not good enough to enter heaven which is the context behind the rich young ruler’s address of Jesus as “Good Master.” There is no one good!

Can there be any good person on earth good enough to enter heaven? Thank God there is, as Proverbs 16:20 reveals. Whosoever handles a matter wisely shall find good, is God’s assurance. What “matter” is God referring to? It is the “matter” of the gospel of salvation in Christ. This is the only “matter” that can save a sinner and be made good by God. The sins of the sinner corrupted him from conception. There is no “good” in anyone from birth. The reason is that all are born sinners. Romans 5:12: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

We need God to save us from our sins and the bondage to them, and to make us good enough to enter heaven. Thank God He did through Jesus Christ His only begotten Son who died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead for our justification. Romans 10:9-11: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

Whosoever believes and receives Jesus as his substitutionary atonement for his sins will have all his sins forgiven by God as he has been punished for them already in Christ when Christ suffered and died for him. Jesus will save him and baptize him with the Holy Spirit. He becomes “good” in Christ immediately. This is the goodness that enables man to enter heaven because Christ came from heaven to die for us. That is why Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one can go to the Father but through Christ (cf. John 14:6).

Immediately upon salvation, all believers can do good works on earth. Jesus says so in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” This is affirmed in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” The “good works” done are good in essence as they are done by God’s children. They are also good benefit-wise as they can show sinners the glory of God in Christ so that they can become believers themselves. These good works are also a blessing to fellow believers when believers provoke one another unto love and good works.

The second line of Proverbs 16:20 says, “whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.” To trust in the Lord is to trust or believe in the gospel message that Jesus Christ died for his sins and rose for his justification! He continues to trust in the LORD all his life unto eternity! He shows this trust by obeying every jot and tittle of God’s holy and precious Word of Life. This makes him the happiest man alive! Thus, he is considered “happy” by the LORD. The word “happy” is often translated as “blessed,” as in Psalm 1:1: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” He is happy because he knows he is a child of God and has a personal relationship with Him in Christ. He has the “goodness” that allows him to enter heaven and stand before God accepted! He has been made good by God in Christ!

What makes you happy in life, dear reader? Are you doing good deeds to point others to the Saviour?