True Happiness

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man

    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree

    planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

    and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,

    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

    but the way of the wicked will perish.

Do you think that Jesus was a happy person? I certainly think of Jesus as being blessed, but happy?  Is there a difference?

Being blessed is more than just being funny, or friendly, or carefree.  But it also isn’t less than being happy.  In fact, the best way to think of being blessed is to be perfectly happy, balanced, joyful, and at peace.  To me, this describes Jesus.

It takes that kind of happiness and joy, that blessedness, to do the hard work of loving the world.  The sinful world, with all the troubles that are in it, easily sway the mood of anyone whose life is characterized by anything less than heaven’s perfect joy.  Faced with sin, death, and devil, who wouldn’t give up?  The answer is the one who is perfectly blessed, Jesus our Lord.

From the bliss of the Father’s Love, to the cross of Calvary, Jesus came to bring peace to this trouble earth.  Through the pain of sacrifice on the cross, Jesus never lost sight of the joy of your salvation.  It was Jesus’ blessedness, His Joy, His perfect faith, that are the character and substance of unity with the Father.  That blessedness is our eternal future through faith in Jesus.

Let us pray,

I thank you Lord Jesus for bringing the joy of heaven to earth and offering everything to me through faith in you.  Help me to serve in my life and vocation from faith, so that when I meet challenges, your joy will allow me to persevere in all trials.  I ask this in your name, AMEN

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.  Amen.