True Happiness

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8

Blessed means “happy, blissful, joyous, ecstatic.” Those characteristics the Lord lists are like an explosion on His lips, a description of the inner joy we can experience. This expression was commonly seen in the book of Psalms. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,” says Psalm 1:1. Anyone who has ever been burned by ungodly counsel will attest to the fact that a man who doesn’t get mixed up with ungodly counsel is happy. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,” we read in Psalm 32:1. We are to be blissful and ecstatic over the fact that the Lord has taken away our sins. That’s the same expression Christ used when He began talking about the Christian life. Blissful, happy, joyous—these are the words that describe the Christian walk.

Matthew 5:1–12 describes nine characteristics of the happy Christian life. If you want to know what happiness is all about, search through this “happiness manifesto” from the Lord Jesus. He’ll explain to you what true happiness is all about.