True happiness

How To Be Happy

Posted on by Betsy

A few days ago I sat down to write and nothing happened. I stared down Psalm 112 and it just stared right back at me. I mean, it’s a lovely psalm, but for some reason, nothing was coming to my mind. I looked at the seagulls, went for a run, ran errands, and returned in the afternoon to resume our blinking contest.

It didn’t blink.

In the midst of my writer’s block, I got the most unexpected phone call from a friend who started the conversation with “That opening sentence that you wrote this morning was one of the funniest things that I have ever read.” I was completely startled and a little scared. He went on to say that he thought about it all day and was still laughing. Because I write and schedule my devotionals several days out, I actually had no idea which opening sentence he was referring to. That was embarrassing!

He encouraged me to keep writing and told me he enjoys reading my online devotionals every day. He could not have known how timely and much-needed that phone call was. I have taken on an additional assignment from my Cokesbury publisher that has a short due-date (the original writer suddenly dropped out) and I just needed that boost of support that his phone call gave me. This happy voice with a happy message from a pretty happy fellow was good medicine.

When I went back to Psalm 112, I suddenly realized that it was talking about this man, and the people in our lives who shine in the dark and are truly good people. He indeed is a man who honors the Lord, adores God’s commandments, and is one of the happiest people I know.

Do you have people in your life who stop what they are doing to speak a good word into your faltering afternoon? Are you the kind of person who reaches out to friends who are feeling low? What a gift you are!

Psalm 112 is an acrostic poem, which means that the first word of each line follows the Hebrew alphabet. Writers liked the order and convention that this form gave their poetry. There is also a sense of completeness, as the psalm goes A to Z … or Alef to Tav, actually.

Psalm 112 (Common English Bible)

Praise the Lord!
    Those who honor the Lord,
    who adore God’s commandments, are truly happy!
2 Their descendants will be strong throughout the land.
    The offspring of those who do right will be blessed;
3     wealth and riches will be in their houses.
    Their righteousness stands forever.
4 They shine in the dark for others who do right.
    They are merciful, compassionate, and righteous.

5 Those who lend generously are good people—
    as are those who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 Yes, these sorts of people will never be shaken;
    the righteous will be remembered forever!

Verses 7 and 8 speak of the hearts of these righteous people. Their hearts are steady, trusting, firm and unafraid. In contrast, the wicked will disappear to nothing.

Like Psalm 1, Psalm 112 offers us the choice of pursuing the path of righteousness which leads to happiness or wickedness that leads to nothing. Pretty simple, yes? Well, not always. Heartache, circumstances beyond our control, betrayals, and other life disappointments will come our way and interfere with our happiness, but it certainly gives us something to strive for.

7 They won’t be frightened at bad news.
    Their hearts are steady, trusting in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are firm; they aren’t afraid.
    In the end, they will witness their enemies’ defeat.
9 They give freely to those in need.
    Their righteousness stands forever.
    Their strength increases gloriously.
10 The wicked see all this and fume;
        they grind their teeth, but disappear to nothing.
    What the wicked want to see happen comes to nothing!

Are you looking to increase your happiness? Read Psalm 112 again. It’s all spelled out from A to Z.

Happiness by Michelle Robertson

Recipe For Happiness

Posted on by Betsy

I met with a frustrated spouse last week who outlined a list of grievances that she is experiencing in her marriage and ended with, “I’m just not happy.” She and her husband are starting marriage counseling, so I feel hopeful that the issues will be discussed and resolved. But the conversation made me ponder the subject of happiness. I believe she was honest in what she said, but it made me concerned for folks who pin all their happiness on one relationship with another person. Are there things we can do apart from our relationships that would bring happiness into our lives so that when those relationships go through rough patches, we can still find joy?

What does the Bible say about happiness?

Then I stumbled upon this nugget from Isaiah. The Old Testament prophet spent his career warning Israel about apostasy and their standing as God’s people. But did you know he also offers a recipe for happiness?

Isaiah 56 (Common English Bible)

The Lord says:
    Act justly and do what is righteous,
    because my salvation is coming soon,
    and my righteousness will be revealed.
2 Happy is the one who does this,
    the person who holds it fast,
    who keeps the Sabbath, not making it impure,
    and avoids doing any evil.

Act justly. Do what is righteous. Anticipate the coming salvation. Hold fast to God’s promises. Keep the Sabbath holy. Avoid doing evil. If you meditate on that list of ingredients, you can see how happiness would follow. And God goes on to ensure that his listeners understood that this recipe is not just restricted to the Jews but is available to anyone.

3 Don’t let the immigrant who has joined with the Lord say,
    “The Lord will exclude me from the people.”
    And don’t let the eunuch say,
        “I’m just a dry tree.”
4 The Lord says:
    To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
    choose what I desire,
    and remain loyal to my covenant.

We get a foretaste of the New Covenant in these verses regarding immigrants and eunuchs. These people certainly represented those outcast from Jewish society. Eunuchs were denied full participation in the temple rituals, according to Leviticus 21:17-20. God is saying very clearly that while society may deny them inclusion, all are welcome in God’s temple and courts. God is also saying that while you may feel outcast, the word of God is higher and stronger than your feelings.

Indeed when Jesus arrived, he opened up his ministry to the outcasts first.
5     In my temple and courts, I will give them
    a monument and a name better than sons and daughters.
    I will give to them an enduring name
    that won’t be removed.

Isaiah’s prophecy of a time when all would be welcome at the temple found its home in Jesus. He ate with sinners, healed the Gentiles, fed the poor and marginalized, and died for us all. His Temple is for the world.

Have you ever felt outcast in your community? Have you ever been shunned by family, neighbors, or the church? Are you lacking happiness in your life? Check the recipe again and see if you can spot a missing ingredient, starting with keeping the Sabbath.

May we open the doors wide for all to come in and taste and see that the Lord is good.

Happiness Pancakes by Mary Anne Mong

Generosity

Posted on by Betsy

Think of someone you know who is truly generous. Someone who gives of their time, their talent, and their treasures. Is that person happy? My guess is that they are. There is a couple in my church who seem to just give away all that they have whenever a need arises. They have opened their home to family members, volunteer untold hours of time, and quietly finance ministry and missions every week. And they are always smiling. There is a kind of sweet joy that just oozes from their pores and people are naturally drawn to them.

Generosity is a common theme in the Scriptures. Jesus mentions this quality often (see Matthew 5) and we see it here in our passage today. Note how the psalmist lifts up generosity as a worthy ideal and a path to happiness.

Psalm 112 (Common English Bible)

Praise the Lord!
    Those who honor the Lord,
    who adore God’s commandments, are truly happy!
2 Their descendants will be strong throughout the land.
    The offspring of those who do right will be blessed;
3     wealth and riches will be in their houses.
    Their righteousness stands forever.
4 They shine in the dark for others who do right.
    They are merciful, compassionate, and righteous.
5 Those who lend generously are good people—
    as are those who conduct their affairs with justice.

Merciful, compassionate, righteous, generous, and good. These are the qualities of the people who adore God’s commandments. These are the qualities of those who are truly happy. These are the qualities of Christ.

6 Yes, these sorts of people will never be shaken;
    the righteous will be remembered forever!
7 They won’t be frightened at bad news.
    Their hearts are steady, trusting in the Lord.

Verse 7 is an interesting take: “they won’t be frightened at bad news.” I don’t know that I have ever spotted that before. The psalmist is reminding us that when we are grounded in the commandments and honor God, we don’t have to fear bad things. There is no promise that bad things won’t happen, but an assurance that bad things don’t have to be frightening when you are centered in God’s will.

8 Their hearts are firm; they aren’t afraid.
    In the end, they will witness their enemies’ defeat.
9 They give freely to those in need.
    Their righteousness stands forever.
    Their strength increases gloriously.

A great way to respond to our reading today is to go out and be overly generous to someone. Leave a big tip, bring in your neighbor’s trash cans, let someone pull out in front of you when you’re driving, or pay for someone’s order in the drive-through behind you. Where is God calling you to be generous? I bet if you are, you will put a smile on that person’s face. And yours.

Blessings by Michelle Robertson

Level Ground

Posted on by Betsy

Today’s Scripture is a whopper. It happens in a physical location that Luke describes as “level ground,” but it also happens at a spiritual “level ground” as well. When you read this, expect to be grounded.

And possibly leveled.

Luke is very transparent about the audience: they came to hear Jesus because they needed healing. They came to level ground to be healed from all their diseases. Some had unclean spirits. Some were bothered. They had learned about his power, and everyone wanted to touch him.

Are you sick in spirit?

Are you bothered by life?

Do you need to be healed?

Proceed with caution.

Luke 6 (Common English Bible)

17 Jesus came down from the mountain with them and stood on a large area of level ground. A great company of his disciples and a huge crowd of people from all around Judea and Jerusalem and the area around Tyre and Sidon joined him there. 18 They came to hear him and to be healed from their diseases, and those bothered by unclean spirits were healed. 19 The whole crowd wanted to touch him, because power was going out from him and he was healing everyone.

20 Jesus raised his eyes to his disciples and said:

“Happy are you who are poor,
    because God’s kingdom is yours.
21 Happy are you who hunger now,
    because you will be satisfied.
Happy are you who weep now,
    because you will laugh.

So far, so good. This twist on what we normally think of happiness fits into Jesus’ style of teaching. Happy=poor, happy=hungry, happy=weeping … this all equates in the system I call “Jesus math.” Jesus doesn’t do math like we do. He has his own system of equations.

Then it gets more extreme.

22 Happy are you when people hate you, reject you, insult you, and condemn your name as evil because of the Human One. 23 Rejoice when that happens! Leap for joy because you have a great reward in heaven. Their ancestors did the same things to the prophets.

To define happiness THIS way requires the mind of the divine. But do you see what Jesus is getting at here? Happiness means being completely, wholly, and entirely SOLD OUT to Jesus and his cross. That indeed is cause to rejoice, even in the midst of the world’s condemnation.

Then it gets more extreme.

24 But how terrible for you who are rich,
    because you have already received your comfort.
25 How terrible for you who have plenty now,
    because you will be hungry.
How terrible for you who laugh now,
    because you will mourn and weep.
26 How terrible for you when all speak well of you.
    Their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets.

Jesus math comes in again. Terrible=rich. Terrible=plentiful. Terrible=laughing. Terrible=praise from the world.

What can we learn from this today? I think it calls us to take a hard look at our own math. If you live your life on the “plus side” of things, perhaps it is time to minus out some of your excess and reach out to others. When we share from our plenty … our resources, our lives, our egos, and our hearts … that is when our math shifts.

What can you do today to bring joy to someone? How can you build up someone’s situation and diminish your own in the cause of the kingdom? Where can you impact the world for something outside of yourself?

And if you find yourself on the “minus side” of things, where can you go to reach out for help?

We are all sick in one way or another, but when we touch Jesus’ power, his healing flows to us and through us. That, my friends, is the math of equality.

Jesus calls us all to level the ground around us. Where do you fit into the equasion?

Dawn Breaks by Michelle Robertson

Truly Happy

Posted on by Betsy

What would it take for you to be truly happy? Deeply, unquestionably, full-tilt happy? I know that is an enormous question, especially if you are reading this first thing in the morning. You may need to go grab another cup of coffee.

I think that there are some answers that come more easily than others. For those who are in places or systems of oppression, “being free” probably comes to mind. For those who are battling a serious illness, “being well” is a natural response. I would hazard a guess that for everyone reading this today, “the end of the pandemic” rings true.

Those responses represent things that are beyond our control. What is something you can control that would bring you happiness?

Psalm 128 (Common English Bible)

Everyone who honors the Lord,
        who walks in God’s ways, is truly happy!

There is always a practical simplicity to the Psalms, isn’t there? The Psalmist boils true happiness down to two precepts: 1. honor God, and 2. follow his ways.

Other translations use the word fear in place of honor. I have never cared for that, as we tend to define fear as be afraid when we read it. But fear is understood here as reverential trust. That changes it, doesn’t it? Having a reverential trust of God and following his commandments is the key to happiness. Simple, right?

Wrong.

For most of us, following God’s ways as spelled out in God’s Word is very difficult indeed. Our need to assert our free will, our need to have things our own way, our weakness against temptation, and our easily distracted lives get in the way. We can read and study God’s Word until the cows come home, but living God’s Word is a different matter all together.

But the Psalmist goes on to describe the reward for honoring God:

2 You will definitely enjoy what you’ve worked hard for—
    you’ll be happy; and things will go well for you.
3 In your house, your wife will be like a vine full of fruit.
  All around your table, your children will be like olive trees, freshly planted. 4 That’s how it goes for anyone who honors the Lord:
    they will be blessed!

That’s how it goes! Honor God, and you and your family will be blessed by knowing that you are faithfully serving in ways that are meaningful and significant.

When we truly honor God, we make what is important to him important to us. When we follow his ways, we behave in the way that Jesus behaved…tolerant, accepting, forgiving, inclusive, and most of all, loving. Every day that we make strides in those areas we are guaranteed to come closer to true happiness.

5 May the Lord bless you from Zion.
    May you experience Jerusalem’s goodness your whole life long.

Blessings, goodness, and happiness await those who walk with God. If you don’t have those things in your life right now, consider the path you are on. Good things come to those whose lives are turned toward God.

Look for the Cross by Bonnie Bennett