Title: Everyday Happiness
Contents
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Ecclesiastes 3
11. God made all things, beautify them in their seasons, and put a longing for eternity in man. But he has made it impossible to measure the end of God's works from beginning to end.
12. I knew that there is nothing better for a man than to rejoice and do good while he lives.
13. I also knew that it is the gift of God that every man eat and drink, and that he finds pleasure in his hard work.
14. Whatever God does, it endures forever, and it cannot be added to, nor can it be made less, and I knew that God did these things so that men might be feared before him.
15. The things that are now were of the past, and the things that are to be are of the past; God seeks the past again.
Matthew 5
1. When Jesus saw the crowd, he went up to the mountain and sat down, and the disciples came to him.
2. Open your mouth and teach
3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall have mercy.
8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
10. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11. Blessed are you when they curse and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in this way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Content
Title: Happiness in Everyday Life
Text: Ecclesiastes 3:11-15, Matthew 5:1-12,
It was the sixth time I visited the Beatitudes Church, which was built on a hill in the northeast of the Sea of Galilee. I imagined the heart and intentions of the Lord who gave the teachings of the Beatitudes, which are said to be the highlight of the Sermon on the Mount. I also imagined the reaction of those who would have heard the word through the Lord. What was the Lord's intention and what was the reaction of the listeners when He spoke of the eight conditions for a blessed person? Two images came to mind. The first is a dark picture. 'It's hard to say, all the more absurd things for people like us. It's like a word from another world. I don't know about it in that life, but in this life I only have conditions that I can only draw in my dreams, right?' The second is a bright picture. 'Then you are saying that we are also blessed people, right? Living in the world, you hear everything you say.’
It is said that the people of Galilee at that time had a lot of problems with politics and religion. If the people living in Jerusalem were mainly the successful ones, Galilee is said to be the home of the unsuccessful. The Savior Jesus, who came to this earth at that time, was “a healer who does not break a bruised reed or put out a smoldering lamp” (Isaiah 42:3a). He is the one who came “to bring good news to the poor” (Isaiah 61:1). The ministry of Jesus recorded in John 2 is in contrast. The wedding feast in Cana (John 2:1-11) and the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem (John 2:13-22). He is the Lord who performed the work of blessing in Cana and the work of judgment in Jerusalem. Reminiscent of the ministry of Jesus in his public life, the second picture depicts the people who listened to the words of ‘Blessed are you.
The disciples who listened to Jesus on the Beatitudes, as well as the Galileans, seemed to be happy. Because he has already made them aware that they are blessed before God. If not all of the conditions of those who are blessed, the words that evoked a response in their hearts, such as 'If that's the case,' seemed to open their hearts.'The poor in spirit...the mourners...the meek... .Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness... Those who are merciful... Those who are pure in heart... Those who make peace... Those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.' It felt like my heart was racing. These are the contents of the first and eighth blessings. “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3b). “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10b). It seems that the following words (verses 11 and 12) were once again filled with joy and happiness. Waves of emotion and gratitude seem to have hit their hearts.
This is what Gerald Sittser, a professor of religion at Whitworth College, Washington, describes in his book A Grace Disguised. A terribly loved family was lost in an accident that was totally unexpected. The author, who had to go through a tunnel of despair and darkness due to a sudden loss, writes: 'I have realized that loss is an irresistible thing in human life, and it is a very special event for each individual who suffers, but it is a universal event that exists in all human beings.' . The problem is the ‘response’ to it, and our lives change depending on how we react during the loss, so the expression ‘choice-grace-change-growth’ is used to describe the ‘reaction’. His words are engraved in his heart. “First of all, I was shocked to see how amazing everyday life is.”