Happy

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.  Matthew 5:1-12

The word used in these verses is Blessed, it can also be translated as Happy. The actual Greek word is:

makarioi - μακαριος

I believe that as passages of the Bible go, this is probably one that is very well known through out the world. It is from the sermon on the Mount, and is known as the Beatitudes. These scriptures are supposed to tell us how our attitudes should be.

When you really look at the verses you will notice that the attitude we are to be is HAPPY! With that said, some of the situations spoken of that we are to be happy in, are not so happy. Let's look at each of them...

Blessed are the poor in spirit (the humble, those who consider themselves insignificant). Being humble is a good thing; it is not good to be conceited, or overly proud to the point of being obnoxious. Jesus said that those who are humble will receive the kingdom of heaven. It also doesn't mean I should belittle myself or think I am worthless. Seeing yourself as insignificant is different than that. I believe it is knowing and understanding that God is the significant one, the one that gave us our abilities. So we should give the glory where the glory is due... to God not us.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Mourning is not a good thing, it means something bad has happened. Jesus says to be happy in your mourning. How can that be? Do you think Jesus didn't know what He was talking about? Do you think that He didn't understand mourning? He knew exactly what He was saying, He had mourned with those and for those who mourn. I think that God mourned when man fell, when man falls, when Christ died. I believe Jesus mourned in the garden, on the cross, and when his followers step out His leading. He knows that we will be comforted when we mourn, but remember it might not be here on earth. We might have to put on a happy face, or "grin and bare it" until we get to heaven, where every tear will be dried.

Blessed are the meek (mild, patient, long-suffering) for they will inherit the earth. I am to be happily patient? I don't know about you but sometimes that is just not possible. It is hard to be happy when I have to wait in traffic, or in a long line in a store, or for an important phone call. the term long-suffering is a good one when it comes to having to wait for things. Jesus said to be happy in your patience. Make the most of that time, listen to music, quote scripture (quote this one over and over, just kidding), be patient and happy because at the end of the wait you will get what you need and it will happen right here on earth. 

Blessed are those who hungry and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. I believe this one takes action on our part. What do you do when you are hungry or thirsty? I usually get something to eat or drink, if that is possible. So, in order to be filled, we need to seek out what we need to fill us. The person Jesus is talking about is feeding themselves with the Word, they are seeking to be filled with the Spirit. This person wants to live a life pleasing to God, they search for ways to do that. As a result they are filled with the righteousness they seek.

Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy. Mercy for mercy, but not necessarily from the person you gave mercy to. this is another situation that might not be so good, although it isn't always bad either. If you are showing mercy then you have either witnessed this person doing something wrong, or have actually been wronged by the person. You are forgiving them for a hurt, to you or someone else. You are letting them off the hook for it. Just like Jesus did for us. We aren't just supposed to be merciful but we are to do it happily! I know it is hard, I struggle with this too!

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. I am so glad this doesn't say pure in life... because let's face it none of us would see God! I am so happy Jesus has covered my heart with His blood. Because of His sacrifice I have a pure heart and I will see God. That is the only way any of us can see Him.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the sons of God. Our lives for Christ should be happy and full of peace. We should strive for peace all around us, and when faced with chaotic situations allow the peace we have to shine through as a witness to God and His presence in the situation. Let people see that the chaos of the world does not influence us, that we can be peaceful and happy during those times. They will see the difference and call us son's of God. Not an easy thing to do... and it is getting harder every day.

Blessed are those who are persecuted.... theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I don't know about you but this is the hardest one to understand. That is probably because I have never been persecuted really. I believe that at some point (probably in the near future) that will change. We have a "charmed" life here in the US. We are lucky to live here in a country were we are free. We are free to worship what we want the way we want, we can say what ever we want out loud, we can even burn the flag and dishonor the symbols of the freedom we hold so dear and we can do it all because we are free! I believe these freedoms we have will be taken away, will I be able to stand up in the face of the persecution? Will you? Will we happily do it?

This is a long post and I am sorry about that. I pray that God can use it for His honor and glory, it all came from Him, at least I hope it was "inspired" by the Spirit and didn't just come from this feeble brain of mine. Thanks for reading. God bless you! Be Happy!