Happiness Is
The
Beatitudes, part 2
Hi to
everyone. Today we continue our
study of the “happy”
characteristics as we look at
the beatitudes. “Happiness is
contagious, catch it.”
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Happy are
the merciful – those who are
move with compassion toward
the physically downtrodden
and the spiritually
downtrodden. The merciful
can empathize in many things
and sympathize in most. The
merciful will help to
relieve the misery and
suffering of those in need.
Be merciful. Going back to
the ingredients of love, the
merciful “thinks no evil” (1
Cor. 13:5). There is no
harshly judgmental attitude
or grudge holding, no desire
for revenge.
-
Happy are
the pure in heart – those
who are what God wants them
to be from the inside out.
The pure in heart are single
minded in their devotion to
God (James 4:8; Matt.
6:22-23). Like Nathaniel,
they have no guile, no
ulterior or devious motives
(Jn. 1:47). The starting
place for those who would be
pure in heart is with faith
produced by the word (Acts
15:9; Rom. 10:17).
-
Happy are
the peacemakers – those who
have a disposition of “a
soft answer.” I think of the
qualifications of the elder
who is not to be a striker
or brawler or soon angry.
Please understand that
peacemakers are not
compromisers in regard to
error or sin. Peace that is
contrary to God’s word fails
to bring one to peace with
God and is therefore no
peace at all. Peacemakers
can reunite the divided,
stop division and smooth the
way for the resolution of
arguments. The family is the
perfect training ground for
the practice of this
characteristic isn’t it?
Think of the loud, raucous,
adversarial and angry
dispositions that would be
left behind with the
practice of peacemaking.
-
Happy are
the persecuted – those whose
practice of the faith of
Christ brings upon them the
displeasure of those who
hate the light because their
deeds are evil. The
righteous will always please
God and displease the
wicked. It is the pleasing
of God that makes us happy.
Persecution is the lot of
the faithful (2 Tim. 3:12).
There will never be
agreement or fellowship
between light and darkness,
righteousness and
unrighteousness. If you are
being persecuted, you are
simply sharing fellowship in
the sufferings of Christ.
Mike Glenn
See More on Happiness from this
series
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