A Happy Heart
Many things must be/are dealt with on a daily basis by all of us such as our jobs, school, community obligations, friends and relatives. These all have their small amount of involvement that contribute to living a life. Priorities have to be in place to have a happy life (A happy heart makes the face cheerful…) because without clear direction of goals confusion can cause distress, conflict and heartache (..but heartache crushes the spirit. Prov. 15:13)
There is no doubt that God wants man to be happy for throughout the entire Bible we find the word “blessed” which means “happy or fortunate.” The book of Matthew contains the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7 that describes the fundamentals of being happy.
Happiness isn’t an accident of emotions, it is a purposeful endeavor of following the Word of God and applying it to our lives. Jesus tells us of the attitudes we should actively maintain to discover true happiness. This teaching has to be part of our every relationship, our marriage, our neighborliness, our hospitality, our teaching of others to achieve our happiness.
This is what the beatitudes of Matthew 5 are all about; the giving of our wholehearted effort to following the “Way of Christ”. Happiness is within us and it doesn’t get there by itself. We are as happy as we make up our minds to be and it is in our heart, not our circumstances, that we find it.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is where we can find happiness and where we can’t. It’s not found in wealth, pleasure or popularity. Happiness comes with a motivated direction in life, not drifting in spiritual emptiness, but rather seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. A happy person has the goal to overcome any obstacles in following Christ and to gain the crown of life (2 Tim. 4:7-8). Is anyone happy, let him sing hymns of praise. (Jas. 5:13)
Tags: #joy