 Happiness
Last week we considered the type of sadness and mourning that should be the experience of believers. In this week’s post I want to consider those things which ought to be the reason for our rejoicing and the basis for our happiness. Remember that old hymn that encourages us to count our blessings and name them one by one. Just as there is a godly way and reason for grief, there is also a godly way and reason for us to enjoy happiness. Count Your Many Blessings In Jesus’ famous teaching from the mountain, He gave a list of those who despite their present carnal circumstances are truly blessed (Matthew 5:3-12)! Considering each of those points the Lord points the audience not only to the present experience but also to the sure outcome. Those who are poor in Spirit will own the Kingdom of heaven, those who mourn will be comforted, those who have an appetite for righteousness will be satisfied, those who are merciful will receive mercy, those who are pure shall see God, those who make peace will be called God’s children, those who are persecuted will also possess the Kingdom! Then Jesus says “Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven!” Jesus tells us that we ought to be glad because there is a reward for His people. The more we contemplate the value and beauty of these promised rewards the happier we should become, assuming we truly believe that we will receive these rewards. We also should strive all the more to live as those who are destined to receive these things. Gladiness in God One thing that we ought always to be glad about is the mere existence of God. God in and of Himself is a reason to be glad. All His attributes, actions, and affections are reasons for us to rejoice. Whether we are meditating on God’s goodness and love or His anger and judgment, the reality remains that we ought to be glad in the reign of such a holy, righteous, and perfect God (Psalm 9:1-2). An honest spiritually minded assessment of comparative religions will show that the God described and revealed in the Bible is unique and distinct from all the false and fictitious gods in the world. Whether they are the product of the imagination of men or a deliberate lie from the evil one those deities are insufficient to compare with the true God. Joy in Jesus All believers also ought to rejoice that we have received salvation through Christ (1 Peter 4:12-14). God did not owe us hope or salvation but Jesus came and redeemed us for Himself, for His own possession. It should be the greatest joy and happiness to belong heart and soul to our Lord Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-14). Even the proclamation and sharing of the good news is reason for rejoicing. The message of the gospel is not a somber message but a happy message reflecting the love of God and revealing peace with God. Remember the gospel is good news (Isaiah 5:6-10)! It should be delivered as a message of hope and joy. Even at Jesus’ birth you will remember that the heavenly host announced to the shepherds good tidings of great joy (Luke 2:8-20). So even in the midst of temporary struggles and hardships we can look to Jesus and rejoice in Him!
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