APRIL 3, Matthew 5:3

We hear people say “Blessed” but what does it mean? Does it mean “Happy”? It is more than simply being happy. Fun can last a few hours, happiness for your entire life, but blessedness or real joy is forever.

God offers more than temporary happiness. To be “blessed” is to have inner joy and peace in our hearts that comes with being right with God. Happiness may indeed be a part of it; but it is the happiness and joy in our hearts no matter what is happening around us, both good and bad. It means rejoicing and having joy even when we are being bullied or badly treated or when the situation around us is very difficult or bad. In other words, blessedness is more than happiness because it is not dependent on circumstances but it is the state of mind of a person.

So when Jesus says “blessed are they,” He is not only describing them as being filled with an inner sense of joy and peace because they are right with God, but He is praising them for their character. Jesus promises rewards in heaven for it.

Jesus is not teaching us about being blessed because we are able to go to Disneyland for a holiday or because we have the latest iPhone. What Jesus is teaching us is being able to be cheerful and grateful to the Lord even when we have all our things taken away or become very sick or when all our friends make fun of us (think of Job and what happened to him and how he reacted: Job 1:21).