Did you know that when the Bible mentions the word “blessed” it is often referred to as happy? Happy people in the Bible are blessed people. In the “sermon on the mount,” Jesus mentioned eight blessings Christians call beatitudes. Each of these beatitudes is a proverb like proclamation, which follows a simple pattern. What is the pattern? Great question, I’m glad you asked! Jesus names a group of people that the world labels as unfortunate or foolish, then pronounces them as blessed in His kingdom. These people, who the world calls fanatics or simple, Jesus calls blessed. These people today are referred to as the children of God or Christians. This is a wakeup call for the church. If you want to be happy, you must be a real born again Christian. You must allow God to change your heart, even if that means being labeled and mistreated by the world. A real Christian looks like Jesus. In fact, by definition, Christian means Christ-like. What about you? Do you look like Jesus? Do you talk like Him, think like Him, act like Him? If not, maybe you should check your birth certificate. In order to be in God’s kingdom, you need to be born again. There is no other way around it. There is more to being a Christian than being in the church pews and doing religious things. Yes, you will be persecuted for looking like Jesus, but you will also inherit God’s Kingdom happiness. This promise is more than enough to get you through to glory. The blessed happiness that He provides is the secret to our success.  Amen!

Question: Do you know what it means to be born again?

Prayer: Lord, we ask that you transform us from the inside out. We confess that we are sinners saved by grace, and we confess You as Lord over our lives. We know that happiness only comes from being connected in fellowship with You. We ask for You to come into our hearts and make us new, as we submit to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. In Jesus’ Name we ask and say Amen!