Morning Devotional
May 5, 2005
"Happily Ever After" (Part 4)
    by Don Emmitte

Praise the LORD! Happy are those who fear the LORD. Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what He commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. They themselves will be wealthy, and their good deeds will never be forgotten. When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. All goes well for those who are generous, who lend freely and conduct their business fairly. Such people will not be overcome by evil circumstances. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. They give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will never be forgotten. They will have influence and honor. The wicked will be infuriated when they see this. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted. (Psalm 112:1 NLT).

 

A life of obedience will produce lives that end up “happily ever after.” In fact, the psalmist says that our children will be taught to live the same lives as we model for them. If it is a life of obedience then they will more likely follow in those steps. If so, they will be “wealthy.” Does that mean they will be materially prosperous?

 

The Scripture has multiple meanings for the word “wealth”. Usually the word is associated with a reference to money, but not always. Wealth can mean prosperity, strength, riches or treasure. For instance, when Jesus talked about treasure, He was often using the same word we use for wealth. When Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”, He was referring to wealth. When He encouraged us to “store up treasures in heaven”, He was also using a word, which in the original language refers to wealth.

 

In Psalm 112, the Psalmist offers some encouragement for the person who fears the Lord. He will be wealthy. I don’t believe the Psalmist is promising material riches for the person who follows God. I believe he is promising spiritual riches. The person who places His treasure in God, who serves, loves and obeys God, will indeed be a person of great wealth.

 

Today we will be signing the papers for the sale of our home of 17 years. There have been so many memories associated with this place. Time doesn’t permit me to list them all. I know that I will never lose those memories. They are folded within my heart and mind, secured forever. Those are the things that have made me a wealthy man! You see, the older I get and the more I see real wealth as being those things, which we cannot hold measure in dollars and cents. I have known many people whose “wealth” could be measured in the millions of dollars. However, they are also some of the most miserable people I know. Material wealth is certainly not wrong. But, the wealth that the psalmist is talking about is far better. Obedience produces this kind of wealth!