Blessed

"Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart." (Psalm 119:2)

TO be blessed is to be happy, but happy as Jesus defined it, not as the world does. The World says we are happy if we have material things, Jesus said we are happy if we are poor in spirit. The world says we are happy if we feel happy, Jesus said we are happy if we mourn. And so Jesus went through happiness showing that true happiness is really in contrast to the worldly happiness.

The Psalmist knew what it meant to be happy and he knew how to find true happiness. He said that happiness comes from obeying the Word of God. I have met many people who think that God is a tyrant Who does not want His subjects to have any fun. They think that His favourite words are "thou shalt not." But the Word of God is not like that, there has to be the negative commands for our own good, but there is much more in the Word of God about what we should be doing. The writer of Hebrews put it this way, "Let us ..."

But there is more than just blind obedience to His Word if we are to be blessed. We must seek Him with all our heart. I have met many Christians that have desired His gifts more than they desire the Giver. As one writer put it, they desired the ring more than the beloved. We will not be blessed, have happiness, if we desire thee gifts above the Giver. The road to happiness is a desire to know Him, and to know Him we must know and keep His Word.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." (Matthew 5:8)