Bruce Collins, Evangelist

The personal website of Bruce Collins

Are We Happy?

 

 

Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! (1 Kings 10:8 NKJV)

 

The Queen of Sheba

Solomon was on the throne of the Kingdom of Israel.  He was known for his wisdom and for his riches.  His reign was glorious in every way.  The Queen of Sheba heard about his wisdom and came to see if what she had heard was really true.  She tested him with “hard” questions.  She saw the order and glory of his reign and came to the conclusion that what she had heard was only half of the truth.  The reality was twice as good as what traders passing between the countries had told her.  But what impresses me is that she saw happiness in the kingdom.  Those serving Solomon were not complaining and bitter.  They were happy and I dare say they were blessed.

 

The Difference between Happiness and Blessing

I have tried to do research on these two words that are often used interchangeably in different translations in the Bible.  I am not a good linguist, but I think this is what the “experts” are saying.  We can be happy without being blessed but when we are blessed we should be happy even when circumstances could make us unhappy.  Now I know that there are people that God blesses that are not happy.  But that is not the way it should be.

 

Happiness can be attributed to things that do not bless.  For example, many people get happy on the weekend by drinking and suffer for it on Monday.  They are not really blessed.  Blessing is a happy condition that results from a right relationship with God.  God blesses us (and makes us happy) as explained in the beatitudes.  We bless God when we worship Him and praise Him.   Likely most unhappiness in life results from disobedience to God fueled by unbelief in His promises. 

 

Are We really Happy?

I like to see people that are happy.  Recently I was in a church service where I saw people expressing their happiness because of the music that they were enjoying.  Some of these people never look happy in a preaching service—possibly because they are not oral learners and possibly because they don’t relate to the message.  Now the music did not bless me but it blessed many who were there.  It blessed me to see them happy.  I think that we could say that they were being blessed since the music was Christ-centered.

 

The Queen of Sheba was happy when she saw the happiness of King Solomon’s servants and subjects.  Now obviously King Solomon is representative of the type of rule that this world will experience when the Lord does establish His righteous reign on this earth.  That kingdom has been foretold and it will come.  Looking forward to it is one of our blessings.   The pattern prayer in Matthew 6:10 refers to this Kingdom when the Lord says, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”   The people in that kingdom will be blessed and happy.

 

Summer’s End

We have come to the end of another summer.  Last winter I was looking forward to the Spring and the Summer.  I kept thinking of nights with cool breezes and days when we could enjoy outside activities.  I had hoped to do some important things for the Lord.  But the summer is gone and the necessary responsibilities of life have eaten into what I thought would be an enjoyable summer.  We have done some enjoyable things but truth be told I am frustrated by how quickly summer has gone and how little I have really enjoyed it.  But am I unhappy?  No!   I remember when I passed from death unto life (John 5:24) in a spiritual sense and I trusted my soul to the Lord for eternity.  That is where true blessing and happiness is found.  Things may not go as I want them to go day by day; but, even so, the Lord has greatly blessed me and my family.  I may be frustrated at times, but I am happy.

 

We can truly say as Johnson Oatman has penned:

 

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

Bruce Collins

 

Meditation for the week of September 2, 2018

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