Wednesday March 15, 2017

 

“Happy are the meek.” – Jesus

 

I often wonder why there are so many unhappy people in the world. I often wonder why sometimes I am not happy. If we all want to be happy, why then are there so many unhappy people? What is preventing us from being truly and consistently happy? The truth is that when it comes to happiness, you and I are our own worst enemies. We create these huge barriers that do not allow us to accept the most incredible offer of all times.

 

Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

 

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

 

Today we will touch on two of those barriers that stop us from being happy, pride and guilt.

 

1. Pride

We have been taught to always believe in ourselves, but the truth is that there are areas in our lives, whether hurts, hang-ups, or bad habits that we have not been able to overcome. Jesus said, “Happy are the meek”. Meekness means to recognize that we need to surrender our will to someone more capable than us.

 

Arrogant people are on the way to ruin.

• Proverbs 18:12

 

A self-sufficient fool falls flat on his face.

• Proverbs 10:8

 

2. Guilt

Non-believers say, “I need to fix my life before I come to Jesus”, and believers, “Sin makes me hide from Jesus”. When Jesus invited you to come to Him, He knew all of your past, present, and future sins.

 

Problems far too big for me to solve are piled higher than my head. Meanwhile my sins, too many to count have caught up with me, and I’m ashamed to look up.

• Psalms 40:12

 

Finally, I confessed all of my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to my self, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

• Psalms 32:5

 

Stop being your worst enemy; if you truly want to be happy, do not let pride or guilt be a barrier between you and your happiness and between you and Jesus.