“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
– Matthew 5:11,12
Have you ever had a Christian friend or maybe even a pastor tell you that Jesus did not promise His followers a happy life? If so, I’m here to dispel that claim and assure you that the Lord does indeed want you to be full of happiness and joy — but there’s a catch! The Sermon on the Mount is basically Jesus’ thesis on how to be happy. The Greek word used in Matthew 5 for “blessed” is macarius, and it’s translated: happy, fortunate, well-off, and supremely blessed. The caveat, however, is that this supreme blessing comes at a cost. Far from being a feel-good emotion or experience, living in the immensity of God’s favor is the byproduct of suffering and sacrifice. Experiencing Jesus’ best life means that you have to live the way He lived — take responsibility, put others before yourself, and surrender your outcomes to Him with abandon. Friend, you will never be happy without doing it God’s way. If you want the best life available to you on earth, you must have meaningful responsibilities that propel you toward something greater than yourself. Don’t mistake temporary pleasures for the deep and lasting joy that comes from being content, and remember that contentedness is inextricably linked to stepping into your calling! |
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for calling me to be happy. I want to experience your very best for my life, so guide me every day into the responsibilities you have for me.
Reflection
What does happiness mean to you? Have you experienced it in your life?
3 Responses
I have experienced a lot of happiness in my life by being a good helper to my mom when she was unable to do many things such as cooking and shopping for groceries.
I know that she is looking down from heaven and beaming with pride and saying to herself how proud and happy she must be. It gives me a lot of satisfaction and pride
to know that she raised a good and kindhearted daughter who always gives of herself and never asks for anything in return.I hope and pray that the Hour of Power
will continue to reach out to the lost and hurting people all over the World with the
positive and healing messages of God.Much warm thoughts and love to Pastor Bobby Schuller and his beautiful family. May God give them abundant blessings.And
also to the congregation of Shepherd’s Grove at Irvine Presbyterian Church warm greetings.Much thankyous also to the Hour of Power choir and orchestra along with
The Voices of Hope Children’s Choir for the glorious music and triumphant singing
As always I remain your faithful viewer and Happy and Wholesome student in Jesus
Christ.God bless all of you and stay safe.
Donna Malchrist, I couldn’t have said it better. What a beautiful response. I agree wholeheartedly !
Thank you for sharing your heart with us, Donna. We are thankful for you and for your love and support for this ministry! God loves you and so do we!