The Pursuit of Happiness

January 7, 2019

If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. 1 Peter 3:10

In 2006 Will Smith starred in a box office hit, “The Pursuit of Happyness.” It’s the story of a man whose wife leaves him with a young son to raise. He has so many challenges and obstacles to face with his boy, even homelessness. But through it all they are focused on pursuing happiness.

“Enjoying life and seeing many happy days” rates at the top of the list for everyone. We live one life on this planet, and we want it to be good. The clear direction of our Maker is that we will never have the happiness and enjoyment we crave unless we learn to control our big mouths. Peter specifically says keep your tongue from speaking evil and keep your lips from telling lies. The fact that he tells us to “keep” ourselves from it; to prevent ourselves from doing it, is an indication of just how normal and natural it is for our words to be destructive. We must work to prevent leaving wrong impressions; speaking things that are unnecessary and unhelpful. We must be determined to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Our sinful nature tends toward self-protection and selfishness, and so we tend to say the things that take care of our own interests.

What exactly is speaking evil? We recognize it when others speak evil of us. If it is unfair, untrue, unnecessary, or unkind, we believe it to be evil. Whenever I speak in any of those ways about someone else, it is likewise evil.

What does it mean to tell a lie? There are several ways I can lie. I can blatantly state something I know to be untrue, I can share something as true when I don’t truly have the facts, or I can simply leave a false impression without specifically saying the words.

Both speaking evil and telling lies destroy happy days and enjoyment of life. They erode our self-respect. They chase away security because we never know when the wrong we have done will come home to roost. They damage relationships with God and people.

Don’t lie. Don’t speak evil. Be happy.

• Pray: Lord Jesus, I want to live with self-respect and security. I want to be happy and have healthy relationships. My mouth is the key. Help me.