A Heavenly Perspective on Happiness (Part 3)

Verse of the day: Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who patiently endure persecution. In other words, happiness comes from not being easily provoked to anger when faced with being wronged by others. To be meek is to patiently bear, and put up, with the mistreatment we receive, especially when being mocked for our faith. This does not mean that we cannot stand up for our rights. Jesus did so in John 18:23 when He asked, "If I have done evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you smite Me? The Apostle Paul also stood up for his rights in Acts 16 when he was beaten, yet uncondemned, announcing his Roman citizenship, demanding that those who did this would come and personally release him from prison. We, as Christians, do not need to be mean-spirited in our responses and approach to difficulties. We resolve nothing by responding in anger and thinking that "flexing" our muscle proves that we are strong. That type of approach stinks of pride. It takes much more strength to hold back our anger and give a soft answer. We can be assertive without being worldly in our approach to dealing with persecution. There may even be times when silence would be the best answer we could give; leaving the matter in God's hands. A meek Christian recognizes and believes that God will vindicate any wrong committed against them (Rm 12:19). Jesus quoted Psalm 37:11, which was a reference to Israel inheriting the Promise Land. For us, the born again believer, it is a promise of the inheritance we have in Jesus; for only in Christ do we inherit our Promise Land, Heaven. Happy is the Christian who patiently, with peace and joy in their heart, endures the trials of this lifetime, knowing that he/she is Heaven-bound.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).