Happiness is not the product of external conditions!
We’ve got this backward. Happiness doesn’t depend on the kind of house a man lives in; it depends on the kind of man who lives in the house. Happiness doesn’t depend on the dress the lady wears; it depends on the lady who wears the dress.
Our society says:
“Happy is the man who makes a million dollars!”
“Happy is the woman who marries a man who makes a million dollars!”
“Happy is the go getter, the guy who gets what he wants, when he wants it and just the way he likes it.”
“Happiness is doing your own thing.”
“Happiness is being rich, powerful and famous.”
Jesus, the architect of the human soul, cups His hands to His mouth and cries out, “Wrong! Happy are the poor in spirit.” What a contradiction! How far removed from the carnal mind of this pleasure seeking generation!
What does “poor in spirit” mean? It does not mean being a trembly-lipped religious doormat. It does not mean being a pious introvert trying to blend into the wallpaper. It does not mean being someone with no self esteem.
It does mean that, happy are the people who allow the hand of God to crush their carnal nature so that they are no longer conformed to this world but are transformed into the glorious image of Christ.
Happy are those who allow the hand of the Master to remove their imperfections, remaking them into a vessel of honor pleasing to the Master.
Before the power of the atom could be unleashed, science had to devise a way to “smash” it. The secret of its power lay in its being crushed.
Jesus lists being broken in spirit as the number one priority in the pursuit of happiness. Only when the carnal nature is crushed and the inner poison removed can there be complete healing and a new beginning.
Source: Being Happy in an Unhappy World
Daily Living
When Good Isn’t Good Enough
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