PSALM 32:1-2 – Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

THEME OF THE DAY. ETERNAL HAPPINESS: THE GIFT OF GOD’s GRACE. Recently, my wife and I were meeting with a dear young couple who are going through pre-marital counseling with us. In the course of the session we were having, the topic of grace came up. After we spent a good portion of time defining grace, we talked about the many gifts of God’s grace. I made a statement that would apply to all of us . . . “If we took the time to write down the many blessings we have because of God’s amazing grace, the list would be long, very long. “ In fact, it would take a good bit of time to cover them. God is that good. His grace that amazing. But if we had to start at the beginning in our “grace listing of God’s blessings”, at the top of everyone’s list should be today’s scripture.

The greatest gift of God’s grace is the forgiveness of our sins It is not only the greatest gift of grace but the greatest source of happiness any human being may experience. And here are two reasons why . . .

Forgiveness reconciles us with our Creator restoring the very purpose for our creation. We were made by God and for God. The Apostle Paul would tell us this truth in the latter part of his letter to the Romans – For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:36). This theme is also a part of the loud anthem being proclaimed in heaven – “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11).When sin entered the world, we lost our ability to fulfill our created purpose. Yet, God’s amazing grace in the Lord Jesus Christ has granted us forgiveness and with forgiveness comes the restored ability to fulfill our created purpose.

Forgiveness also provides us with the greatest source of happiness in this world and the next. Go back and read today’s scripture again. The word “blessed” or “happy” appears twice and both in the context of having one’s sins forgiven and being forever justified, “declared right” before God. Think about why this is the greatest source of happiness a human being will ever experience. In this life, “creature” happiness is fleeting. Very short-lived. New things become old. Suffering drowns happiness. Loss of loved ones blankets happiness. Nothing in this world will provide lasting happiness because all things are fleeting. But forgiveness and justification? Those are eternal. Those are what enables us to know Him, now in this life and the next, who is the ultimate source of happiness. And eternal happiness is possible because the source of eternal misery is removed – sin – through the glorious work of forgiveness through the Lord Jesus.

Happiness. All of us crave and seek it. And God has provided the ultimate and lasting experience of true happiness. It is found in forgiveness which is a cleansing of sin and a declaration of being just before God. And there is nothing else able to give us eternal happiness.

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for the greatest blessing I have from You – forgiveness.”

QUOTE: “Think daily of God’s love and grace in forgiving you. Your joy depends upon such thinking.”