Have any of you heard (or said!) "God just wants me to be happy?" I don't know that I have ever said it out loud, but I am certain the thought has entered my head before. Usually this comes up when we are wanting to make a choice or decision that is contrary to what we read in Scripture, doesn't it? It is a means of justifying our choices or rationalizing our decisions. The great thing is, it is a godly statement! The bad thing is, what God defines as being "happy" is different than what we think of as "happy."
Let's look at the beatitudes, found in Matthew 5: 1-11. (Again, all quotations are NKJV unless otherwise stated).
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was
seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in
spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. 4 Blessed are those who
mourn, For they shall be
comforted. 5 Blessed are the
meek, For they shall inherit the
earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, For they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness'
sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say
all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great
is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.
"Blessed," when used here (according to Strong's), means "happy, blessed, or to be envied." An expanded definition says that the word "describes a believer in enviable (fortunate) position from receiving God's provisions (favor)... (http://biblehub.com/greek/3107.htm). So God DOES want us to be happy, but his view of what will make us happy differs significantly from our own. God says that the following will make us happy:
v3. Being "poor in spirit" - lacking, destitute, humble in spirit
v. 4 they that mourn - lament, mourn, to feel guilt
v. 5 meekness - Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God's strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness.
v. 6 hunger (needy, desire earnestly) and thirst (thirst for, desire earnestly) after righteousness
v. 7 pure (clean, pure, unstained, either literally or ceremonially or spiritually; guiltless, innocent, upright.) in heart (the heart; mind, character, inner self, will, intention, center.)
v. 8 peacemakers
v.10 - persecuted for righteousness' sake
v.11 - when they revile and persecute you
(Definitions obtained from biblehub.com/greek)
How many of these things go against what we are taught will make us happy? We are certainly not taught in the world that being humble will make us happy. We are taught that it is "every man for himself," and that we must fight our way to the top and always look out for number one. Yet, when we live that way, we are NOT happy.
Mourning certainly doesn't make us feel "happy," but it puts us in the enviable position of receiving God's blessings.
Meekness is often mocked and ridiculed, especially among men. Men are taught to be aggressive and harsh to get their way. My son fights this all the time at school. He has a gentle heart yet a strong character, but he is mocked frequently for his gentleness.
Seldom are we accepted for earnestly desiring righteousness. We are encouraged so often to lie, steal, cheat, or deceive our way through life so that we can get what we want. According to the world, money, power, status, and "stuff" are what we should earnestly desire.
It is so difficult to remain pure in heart and character. From an early age we are bombarded with impurity, filth, and uncleanness. We are currently battling on this front at school with my daughter. Recently, she was exposed to some definite filth while at school, and it is devastating when innocence and purity are shattered. It can never be completely repaired. Even when we are diligent to protect our hearts and minds, the trashiness of the world is thrust upon us constantly. We must continue to make a conscious effort to keep our surroundings and our lives are pure as we are able.
Verses 10 and 11 are hard. No one wants to be reviled, persecuted, or hated. And yet, if we are always in good favor with everyone in the world, it is probably that we are NOT in good favor with God. The world will not love us if we are doing right, so if all we hear is praise, we probably need to evaluate our lives in the light of God's word.
It is no wonder so many people are NOT happy in the world. The things that God says will bring true happiness are in total opposition to things that we are taught to cherish, pursue, and value in the world. May we all strive to imitate the character of Jesus and to find happiness where God has placed it.
