Ministry of Love

The intention of this blog is to share Biblical messages at least on a weekly basis. Any response is appreciated. I do not expect everyone to agree with my interpretation of Biblical passages. I will try to respond with love and thoughtfulness.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Musings:12/15/08, Happiness or Blessedness? by John.

Happiness or Blessedness?

1. A friend sent me a Priest's article on Burma and China. He said he had just written a book on "answers," but that none of them fit the Burma/China situation. As you might guess, he wanted to pose and answer the question, "Why?" He went on to say that all of those people were innocent, his way of saying they did not deserve to die. He continued by asking why God has hidden Himself from them. He concluded saying there are 3 truths we need to consider. 1) God's perfect timing. 2) His plan for our better good. 3) If we let Him. Then he concluded that by saying God would lead us on another route to perfect happiness.

2. I wrote my friend back, that happiness and blessedness are two different things even though some translators have translated 'ey-sher from the Hebrew and makariaos from the Greek as happiness.

3. Holman takes that route. Psalm 1:1 reads, "How happy is the man..."

4. The problem I see with that translation is that happiness results from something else. We frequently say, "Oh! You have made me so happy!" or "I am happy with things the way they are." Happiness is a personal condition that may arise from a number of different sources.

5. Spiritual blessedness on the other hand can only come from God. When we are in agreement with Him and obedient to His will, we will probably be happy. Jonah was not happy when God forgave Nineveh because he wanted Nineveh destroyed! He missed the happiness he could have enjoyed.The condition in Psalm 1 doubtlessly does result in happiness because of God's blessing, and I think that might make the translation in Psalm 1 acceptable. I don't believe Jesus was happy while suffering on the cross, do you? But He was blessed, and we are blessed because He died for us. We might use the word "happy" in another way, and say, He was happy to die for us, but even that might just contradict His prayer, "Let this cup pass from me...." Remaining in His Father's will was vital to Jesus, and that made Him willingly lay down His life for us. He loved us beyond our ability to understand.

6. It must be wonderful for Him to be able to look into the future and see all the victories won when all who put their trust in Him are saved. He did that because in John 17, He prayed for His disciples all the way through verse 19, then in verse 20, He prayed, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message...." That's us! We believe in Him because of the message His first disciples gave us in their written words inspired by His Spirit.

7. A song we have frequently sung at the opening of our worship services says, "I'm so glad that I'm a part of the family of God!" Being part of the family is God's blessing to us. Enjoying it makes us extremely happy, and we are constantly filled with joy!

8. God created the heavens and the earth, and knowing that makes me happy, too. Do you see the difference? Being part of His creation is His blessing to all of us. He worked six days and rested on the seventh. Some seem to believe God rested forever! Some believe God made the world like an artist paints a picture, never to touch it up again, but it is obvious that God's creation is constantly evolving and becoming what He wants it to be, and He is always at work overseeing it's development.

9. Mankind has created other gods for themselves just as Aaron and the Israelites did while Moses was receiving The Ten Commandments. Those gods cannot move, think, or act. They are not real. They are the work of ungodly men's minds and hands. Our God is everyone's God. He has no competitor. He gifts us with so many wonderful gifts not the least of which is life, and in Jesus life eternal. He also gives us the calm that takes us through the storms, the wisdom to make right choices, the faith to be assured all will work out according to His will, the certainty of His love for us, and so many, many others. All of them are His blessings, and when we are in agreement with God, any and all of them produce happiness in us.

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