"Live With A Glad Heart!"

A 'glad heart' is one of God's beautiful gifts to the human family. But, like any gift, it must be received, appreciated for what it is and used for a good purpose to be of any benefit to the recipient.
Solomon contrasts the mirage of wealth against the reality of God's beautiful gift -

"Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." Eccl 5:10 NIV
"Naked a man comes from his mother's womb and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing with him from his labor that he can carry in his hand." Eccl 5:15 NIV
"Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor ... for this is his lot ... (to) be happy in his work - this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart." Eccl 5:18,20 NIV

Every life is punctuated by many disappointments, dead ends, sorrows and unrealized dreams and goals. Much of the frustration connected to daily living is tied to money because we tend to assume that money = happiness/success. Sometimes that's true because all of us struggle through those hard times when money is scarce and we live on the edge of despair. However, assuming that wealth will fix "my problems" is a mirage because it can vanish like smoke. Solomon calls it "chasing after the wind", meaningless, pointless, ultimately its just smoke. His reasoning is sound because even the wealthiest people eventually end up just like the poorest.

Living daily with the faith that Solomon calls "gladness of heart" is true wealth because that is the only real asset that we can retain in any circumstance, especially in death! Wealth is neither good or bad in itself, its just a temporary situation. How one obtains it, views it and uses it determines it real value.

In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and money." That's good enough for me. Money isn't a bad thing, neither is having enough money to be considered wealthy, its just a temporary situation. A glad heart however, whether with or without money, is God's gift that will not tarnish, cannot be stolen by thieves and grows at a greater interest rate than dollars.

So, enjoy every day of your life! Live it with a glad heart and allow the Spirit of Jesus to teach you that a happy heart is your most treasured asset.