Finding The Mate of GOD'S Choosing - Part 2

I don’t look at being single as a “gift.” But I do feel that it can be a time of learning to trust Jesus in more and different ways. Developing such a close bond with Him that we are willing to do all that He may ask of us. It is an opportunity to truly “fall head over heels” in Love with our Savior and Lord. This is our first step on this journey we are about to take.

This is a necessary time of growth before we will be ready for the life long mate God has prepared for us. So let’s make valuable use of this time to learn all that we can and become as much like Jesus as He is calling us to be.

This will also be a time of healing from the pain and damage done to our emotions and spirit in our past relationships so that we will be prepared for the relationship of a lifetime. That relationship with Jesus first and foremost and then with the spouse He has chosen for us to share the rest of our lives.

So where do we begin this journey? Let’s start by taking inventory of the hurts and pain we are carrying in our hearts and minds. We need to know where we are before we can start this, or any, journey. I feel that you should have a notebook with you as we travel through this time together so that you can make a record of how far we have progressed along this new path. It will be a valuable asset for assessing what things we need to change in our lives, what we can build on and what we need to add. And a way to record the progress made along the way. It will also be important to be able to share these milestones with your spiritual mentor. And believe me you will want to do this at various times throughout our journey.

Taking inventory is a personal matter that you should keep in a journal; this is so that you can reflect on the growth as we travel through this time of healing. It will also be wise to share your journal with your spiritual mentor from time to time as God leads. This should be a mature, motherly figure that you trust completely with your deepest emotional, spiritual and physical needs. Someone who has a Christian marriage that has stood the tests of time and endured. It is not the time to have your best girlfriend as your confident. As you take this inventory take time to look over the relationships of your past and take stock of the hurts you have caused, and the hurts you have suffered. A time to seek forgiveness from God and those who have been wronged for the hurts you have caused. This is also a time to give forgiveness to those who have caused you pain, in person if possible or by letter if they don’t live close by. If you were publicly wronged, it should be a public forgiveness; if private then a private meeting is the way to go. If they have passed on you can also write a letter and seal it in an envelope or burn it afterwards as a sacrifice to God instead of to them personally. This will enable the forgiveness to be released within you.

Jesus said in Mark 11:25, 26 that if we have ought (lit. nothing; this means if we think there may be something between us and a brother or sister)
We all need to walk through this time of reviewing the hurts in our lives. It is a time of healing for us. A time of learning to trust Jesus to mend those painful wounds in our lives and in the lives of those we have hurt.

For the first two and a half years after I became single again, I was so wounded from my past relationships that I didn’t think I would ever, and I meant EVER want to be in a relationship with a man again, let alone get married. “Marriage”, to me, had become a “four-letter-word.” But after finding out what true relationship is all about, and lots of counseling, I have decided that if this is God’s plan for me, I would like to try it again, His way this time. And in that respect I would be doing it right.

In this time of healing and waiting upon the Lord, God wants to draw us closer into our relationship with Him. Into deeper truths and show us the life, the true calling He has placed on our lives. I am reminded of what Aslan kept saying at the end of C. S. Lewis’s book, “The Last Battle”, “Further in and Higher up.” But we must find freedom from the bondage of our hurts and the pain of unforgiveness before we can loose ourselves in the total oneness with Jesus that He is calling us to.

If you are new to the path of forgiveness, no worries, God is able to instruct you in the right ways to seek the forgiveness of others and to give forgiveness to those whom you have wronged. When I was learning to be forgiving and to accept forgiveness, I spent time in concentrated prayer for those I had wronged and those who I felt had wronged me. Sometimes I would fast, other times I would not.

I also made time often with my spiritual mentor so that we could work through all of the emotions I went through as a result of learning how to walk the pathway of forgiveness. It was very complex, so again I encourage you again to have a spiritual mentor available to assist you in this new area of learning. They should be someone you can trust implicitly with any secret, for by the end of your healing you should have no secrets between you in the area of your past relationships. Also, as they will be privy to these former secrets, they should be of the same gender and more spiritually mature woman as Titus 2:3-5, NIV, describes; "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not slanderers or addicted to much wine (or other substances), but to teach what is good. They can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

Both my mentor and I kept notes (journals) of the things I was learning and my progress along the path. I recorded feelings, insights, songs of praise and scripture verses that were helpful during this journey. They are reminders of my learning process and fill me with renewed joy as I review them, as I am sure your journal entries will be to you. You may want to share the entries you have recorded in this volume with her, or have a separate journal to record those things you specifically choose to share. And later in your walk, if someone is traveling the pathway that you have trod you may want to share your journey with her. She will be comforted to know someone else that has walked this path before her and survived.

When we have completed taking this inventory and are beginning to walk the path of forgiveness, I will introduce you to a new realm of purity for Ladies who are longing to follow Jesus into the Heights. Choose a wise older woman who is more mature in her Christian walk from among your Family or Church to help you as your spiritual mentor. Think about where you are in your walk with Jesus and ask Him to help you with recognizing the elements of your inventory. Pick up a Journal or any type of notebook and prayerfully record your thoughts, emotions, hurt, anger, and pain from those relationships of your past. Use your Bible and a concordance to jot down verses on forgiveness to meditate on and memorize, if given the desire; here are a few to get you started:

Matt 6:12-15 "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Nehemiah 9:17b "But Thou art a God ready to pardon (forgive), gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not."

Psalms 25:10, 11 NIV "All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant. For the sake of Your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great."

May you be blessed as we journey together.

P.E.A.R.L.’s:

On the Heavenly Highway to Purity

As I was preparing to write the Christian’s rules for dating I was reminded of the verse in Proverbs 31:10, which says: “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her worth is far above rubies.” And then I thought many of us more resemble a pearl; which starts it’s existence as a grain of sand that has gotten inside an oyster and irritated it’s lining causing it to coat that grain with layer upon layer of pearl-essence to create a rare stone of great beauty and much monetary value. We, too, have caused many people to be irritated. But in other ways we are more like an onion and God is constantly peeling away our many smelly layers of sin and impurities. And so I came up with an acronym for us who are traveling this road toward purity. We are P. E. A. R. L.’s: Pure and Exciting, but Always a Real Lady. And as such we are traveling the Heavenly Highway to Purity in Jesus.

As PEARL’s we need to behave (think, act and dress) very differently than women of the world would when we are seeking to meet and marry the man God has created us to be “an helpmeet” for. So this article is an outline for us to follow while we are searching for that special someone; later I will share some basic rules to go with this outline.


1. MODESTY: As PEARL’s we need to be modest in our language and actions, but most importantly in the way that we dress. The reasons for this are very clear and spelled out for us in God’s word. I Timothy 2:9-10 says: “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls or costly array; But (which becometh women professing Godliness) with good works.” God wasn’t telling ladies not to dress nicely. No this command is more pointed; He is telling Godly ladies NOT to dress provocatively. Not to wear their skirts and slacks so tight or short as to leave little or nothing to a man’s imagination. And not to wear our blouses so low as to expose our cleavage for them to drool over. And this with very good reason. It is because when we dress as women of the world dress we are inviting men, and more importantly our Christian brothers to participate in the sin of adultery with their eyes. But more than that, our invitation to men into this sin makes us a participant with them in that sin. We can see this participation in Matthew 5:27-28: “Ye have heard it said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (italics/underlining added for emphisis) These are strong words, but very true. As Godly ladies we are to treat every man – even single men, and most especially our Christian brothers, as though they are some other woman’s husband – for in essence they really are. We don’t want the women that work with our husband to flaunt their bodies in front of him, so why would we behave like this in front of another woman’s husband?

A man may look after a woman who is dressed provocatively in lust for a moment. He may even comment to his buddies that he “would like to have some of that,” as she walks by. But she is not the lady he would choose to “bring home to Mama!” She is not the one chosen for a lifetime helpmeet. A lady who dresses modestly leaves men guessing as to what she is all about. She is one of life’s mysteries that he must discover the meaning of. Let me give you an example we all can relate to. During the Christmas season we have ample opportunity to watch children in the stores telling their parents I want this toy or that game. But when Christmas finally comes and the presents are set out under the tree there is great anticipation, as they must wait to unwrap them.

I have seen my own children look under the tree at their gifts. And there were a few times that a gift or two was too large or strangely shaped to be wrapped. So they were there with the others, but unwrapped. Every single time this happened my children were the most interested in the gifts they had to unwrap than in those which were “undressed,” so to speak. There was no challenge, nothing to dream for, nothing to long after when the gift was not wrapped in pretty paper and ribbons and bows . . . It is the same with a woman who dresses provocatively, she has left nothing a mystery for men to wonder after.

2. ATTITUDE: As PEARL’s we must exude a Godly air of confidence. This confidence must pour forth from every inch of your being. It will be in your smile, not just on your lips, but also in the smiling sparkle of your eyes. It’s in the way you give a slight pause between sentences during a conversation. You never babble on out of your nervousness. It’s in the way you listen very attentively when someone speaks. It’s also in the way you breathe, slow and sure of yourself. It’s in your posture – you should always sit and stand straight and tall. It’s in your every step, walking briskly with your head high and your shoulders back but with an air of purity and God’s Holy Spirit as your grounding force.

Your past relationships and other failures are insignificant, so leave them at home in your closet. Remember, you are a PEARL! Don’t beg or act desperate. Only date men who want to be with you. Trust God and His abundant goodness and He will provide you the perfect man for your helpmeet in His perfect time. Don’t chase anyone and don’t settle.


Our attitude should not be haughty (Dictionary.com definition: disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious) for the reasons listed in Proverbs 16:18, which says: “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Our attitude should be overflowing with the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-26; or even as Paul states in Philippians 4:8 which reads: “Finally my brethren, (or sisters), whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” The things we think on are what will be revealed by our attitude; and as PEARL’s we want to show forth the attitudes of Jesus at all times; and to think on the things listed in this verse will allow us to show forth His attitudes.

Finding The Mate of GOD'S Choosing - Part 1

I have always thought that having a man in my life was that which would “fulfill” me in Jesus. So at those times in my life when I haven’t had a mate I went out looking for “the one” to fill that role in my life.

Many years, and relationships later, have left me unfulfilled both emotionally and Spiritually in this area of my life. But here I am going to begin a dialogue on how a Christian person of any age who finds themself either single or single again can truly be fulfilled in all areas of their life. Fulfillment doesn’t come from having another person to share your life. It comes from knowing your place in the family of God and living your life according to His plan. And I believe it is a part of God’s plan for most of us to be happily married, but to partners of His choosing, not our own.

So many are the mistakes of our youth, especially when we haven’t chosen to follow Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Although I grew up in a Christian family and went to church each time the door was open, I was not a true believer until just after my 25th birthday. Also, my parents had no training in the Biblical Courtship model with which to “train up” their children. So when it came to relationships with the opposite sex we were not well educated.

I also had no one I felt I could trust to confide in, nor did I feel the need to confide in anyone where matters of the heart were concerned. I was an adult, so I knew it all. At least I thought I did. So when it came to men, and a lot of other decisions in my life, I made very poor ones. I “fell in Love” and married three men who were abusive in a number of ways. And although I am not an advocate of divorce, I felt I had God’s permission to divorce each of the men for reasons that are not a part of this discussion, so I will not be discussing them here. Maybe that is a topic for another book or article at a later date.

I had always thought I believed in marriage being once and for all time. Now I know I have the belief and conviction that marriage is to be a once in a lifetime event. And when God blesses me with the mate He has chosen for me it will be just that in my life!

Genesis 2:24 says; “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

God hates divorce, and if we are committed to following His path for our lives we shouldn’t have this word in our vocabulary, let alone practice it. Moses did allow the Israelites to write a bill of divorcement for certain offenses, but not as a general practice. And it was never God’s plan.

I know we have all made mistakes, and if we have repented (turned our backs on them and totally change directions and ways of doing things). Then God says we are new creatures. As new creatures we have new beginning and can learn new ways of doing things. This new way of finding the right life mate, husband or wife, is what I am proposing to share with you in the pages ahead. So let’s dig in and get on with it.

First I want you to find a partner of the same sex to share this journey with, some one who is both wise and understanding. Someone who is more mature in their walk with Jesus than you are at present, but who you feel can share God’s wisdom with you as you travel this path together. They should have a solid Christ-based marriage. This person will be your spiritual mentor through this new Journey, and quite possibly throughout the rest of your life. This person should also be a person of leadership who is solidly grounded in the Word and to whom you will not be afraid to “spill you guts” on any and every subject, and I do mean every, subject. This is because you will need to talk at length through much of what we are going to share in this journey to God’s choosing the right mate for you. So choose wisely and well.

I think this is a sound Biblical practice due to the words of Peter in 1 Peter 5:5, “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” And also the words of the Apostle Paul in Titus 2:3-6 NIV (parenthesis/italics mine), “Likewise teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine (or other substances), but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled and pure, to be busy at home. To be kind, and to be subject (submissive) to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God. Similarly, encourage the younger men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”

I truly feel that this training and teaching should happen in our teen and early twenties, however some of us have missed out on it either due to lack of Godly examples or because of our own acts of willfulness. What ever the case may be has no bearing on the fact that we can and should learn these things now. So I am going to share with you what God has been sharing with me in the last few years.


Right here I like for us to consider a some scripture verses that have gotten me through the many struggles of this new life in Jesus; “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31. This waiting is a two fold waiting. It is not just waiting for God to do something in you. It is simultaneously a waiting for God and a waiting on God. We all know what it means to wait FOR God, but what does it mean to wait ON God. This waiting on God is performing acts of ministry in His name for the benefit of others. This can be an actual job in the church or just meeting the needs of those in your family or church body by donating your time to them. Cooking a meal, watching their children, etc. The ministry possibilities are endless. And having an active ministry can be a valuable part of following God’s plan for Him choosing our life marriage partner.

The other is in Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.” God has planned our lives in their entirety from before the world was created. He has good plans for each of us. But we have to earnestly seek His face.

Seeking a holy life in Jesus, committed to being submitted to His “will” and “plan” for you is the place where a life long marriage commitment starts. You must first be seeking to follow “hard after” Him and take that close walk with Him into your future relationship with your friend who will ultimately become that life long mate. We must learn to be content in our relationship with Jesus. Seeking to always draw nearer to Him in order to learn how to relate in our future marriage relationship. Standing on the Higher Ground with Jesus is the only place to start. And as we follow Him Higher and Higher still, He can direct us to the perfect mate He has chosen for us.

So, if you have blown it in past relationships or marriages and now find yourself single again, God still has the perfect plan for the rest of your life. If you are in need of repentance, you can fall on your face before God right where you are and confess your sins to Him, ask for His forgiveness and make a change in your heart, mind and life to live from today forward according to His plan for you.

Now if you are ready to begin this journey to the marriage partner of the rest of your life, I want to share something I feel is crucial for you to understand before we begin. Jesus has chosen the “perfect mate” for you. He knew everything about your life before it began and chose the right husband/wife for you from the beginning of time. I think scripture bears this “perfect mate” theory out in the story of Rebekah and Isaac in Genesis 24:12-21. This is where Abraham’s servant went to Abraham’s hometown to find a wife for Isaac. He was standing outside of town at the well praying that God direct him to “the girl.” This passage says God answered his prayer before he finished praying.

Even if your mistakes have taken you through wrong relationships because you weren’t taught, or didn’t learn, how to find God’s perfect mate its not too late. There is still time to learn and follow the tried and proven method to live a married life abundantly full of the “Joy of the Lord.” And while I won’t promise you “happily ever after,” I will say you can have a marriage “made in heaven” instead of being “made in Taiwan.”

Now, if you are married this blog is NOT for you. It is strictly intended to help single people to find God’s choice of a life long marriage partner. So if you are married, you should look to your pastor or spiritual advisor for counseling on how to make the partner you have “the one.” There is much you still can do to correct what may be wrong in your current marriage without divorcing. Look to God and Godly counsel to help you begin down the road to a more blissful marriage.

Please stay tuned for what lies ahead on this Journey to “the mate of God’s choosing” in your life and in mine.

Lord, Is It True?

Lord, Is It True?

Lord, is it true
That you chose me to live this single life?
To work out my walk daily with no man
And me not a wife?
To have toils and cares and be full of strife?
Lord, is it really true?

“Yes!”

Lord is it true?
That on you I can depend
That you will be my Husband
Closer than my closest friend
Lord, is it really true?

“Yes!”

Lord, is it true?
That I really am your wife
That you will carry all my pain and strife
If I but lay down my life
Lord, is it really true?

“Yes!”

Lord, is it true?
That no matter what befalls
You will answer all my calls
And no harm can prevail
Unless it is your will
Lord, is it really true?

“Yes!”

Lord is it true
That all things work out for good
And I’m covered, protected, by your blood
If I follow close to your side
Forever in your will to abide
Lord, is it really true?

“Yes!”



Lord, is it true?
That you chose me; I haven’t chosen you
Lord, is it really true?

“Yes!”

Lord, Thank You!

~ Leigh ~

The “Be Happy” Attitudes

Matthew 5:3-12

Jesus and his students had been traveling all over the regions around the Sea of Galilee for quite a while now. This particular afternoon Jesus noticed that there were thousands of people following them around again, so He lead them to the top of the Mount of Olives, gathered His students close by, and sat all the followers down around them under a grove of trees where He began to teach them some new things. His talk started like this:

3) “Blessed are the poor in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

In my Bible it gives another translation of the word “Blessed” as “Happy” so I am going to replace the word blessed with happy in these verses. So this verse can also read:

3) “Happy are the poor in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t really know what He meant when He said “poor in spirit” so I looked up the word spirit in my Strong’s Concordance and I found that it means “a person’s human rational, by implication their vital principle or their mental disposition.” I know this also may be hard to understand, but I took it to mean what a person thinks in his heart and mind (human rational) and his overall state of mind (mental disposition), like is he depressed, feeling run over, put down, these things would be “poor in spirit.”

Well, by now I am wondering how a person who feels like they have been run over by a Mac Truck, their dog has just died, and they have lost their one and only friend; how can a person in this frame of mind ever be “Happy?” But Jesus words not only implied the happiness of the life to come, they spoke in the present tense. Those who are depressed can find happiness in the here and now by depending on Him to conquer their depression and fill them with the joy of the Lord. But it is our choice to allow Him inside to do the work needed to break down the walls we have built to hold in all the miserable feelings we have allowed to grow and fester in our minds and hearts.

Now I know in a very real and personal sense that He really meant this “Be Happy Attitude;” because He brought me out of some very great mental issues along with severe depression that I had lived in for almost nine years. He took all of that away and gave me a new mind as well as a clean heart when I moved back into the Kingdom of God after an extended sojourn back in the land of the lost.


But Jesus didn’t stop with this remarkable statement He continued with a few other statements of who should be happy. The next one is:

4) “Happy are those who mourn; for they shall be comforted.”

Ok, now a father has just lost his wife and the mother of his children in death, and this man should be “happy?” But Jesus says in his grief his is happy. This makes no sense in my small human mind. How can a person in the middle of grieving for a lost loved one be happy? Apparently it is possible or Jesus would not have told us it was. But he can be happy – full of joy unspeakable and full of glory - in his grief if he knows Jesus; because he knows that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life and that he will be reunited in eternity with those who are also in Jesus that have gone before him in death.


The next one is:

5) “Happy are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”

At first glance you might think that “meek” means “weak.” But I wanted to know what Jesus meant by “meek” so I looked this word up in my “Strong’s” too. I found that the word translated meek means: mild, humble, gentle – meek.

So Jesus was saying those who live their lives in a gentle manner, with a humble heart are to be happy because they will gain the earth as their inheritance. Now meekness or humbleness doesn’t mean that we have to allow others to walk all over us, it means that we aren’t pushy, but reserved. They aren’t forceful, but calm and orderly in their approach. They aren’t loud and overbearing, but quiet and gentle in their conversation. They aren’t impatient, but patient, longsuffering and forbearing in their waiting.

So meekness should encompass our whole being and in our meekness we would be happy. Jesus taught that when meekness does fill every aspect of our being; we who are meek would inherit the earth. But this inheritance is not just a future inheritance for eternity, it is meant for today as much as for the future. So how can we inherit the earth today? We inherit the earth today because Jesus bought this inheritance with His death and resurrection. What does this inheritance involve or include? It involves re-taking dominion of all that Jesus gave us control over in the Garden of Eden back from the usurper – satan. When Adam and Eve were placed in the garden “God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:28 KJV. We, through our relationship to Adam, were given the dominion – control – of the earth, but when Adam sinned he gave that control over to satan, and now we can reclaim it if we have a relationship to Jesus through Salvation. We can have control over the things of the earth that Paul mentions in Ephesians 6: “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” KJV. And we inherit this when we surrender our lives to Jesus for His keeping and are washed in His blood; then He gives us gentleness – meekness – as one of the fruit of His Spirit dwelling within us.


After that Jesus taught:

6) “Happy are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.”

I know we all understand what it means to be hungry and thirsty in some small measure. If we don’t eat, our stomach’s growl and we start to get weak in our bodies. If we don’t drink enough our mouths get dry and it starts making extra saliva to quench this dryness. If we wait too long to get a drink our whole body gets dehydrated, or dried out. But what does it mean to hunger and thirst after righteousness. Well let’s take a look at what the word righteousness means, first. The Strong’s” definition of righteousness isn’t very clear, so I went to my dictionary. It said: the state of being blameless, upright or just. Synonyms for righteousness are Godliness, integrity and justice, among others. I once heard a pastor say that righteousness meant “right standing before God.” This matches up with our dictionary definition of the word.

So if I understand this correctly we will be happy when we are constantly seeking to be blameless in the eyes of God because He is going to fill us with His righteousness or Godliness.


Now Jesus didn’t stop here He went on to tell of other things that should bring happiness to a person:

7) “Happy are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.”

Ok, so what is mercy and how will we obtain it. Again I looked into the “Strong’s” for the meaning of the words merciful and mercy. Mercy means: compassionate in word or deed, specifically by Devine grace; to have, obtain, receive, show mercy. And merciful simply means to be actively compassionate and full of mercy.
This one is a lot easier to understand how a person can be happy. Jesus said if we will spend our lives to show God’s compassion actively to those around us then He will fill us with His mercy. Sharing compassion with others, meeting their needs in small, always puts me in a frame of mind to smile and gives an inner glow throughout my being.


Jesus went on to say:

8) “Happy are the pure in heart; for they shall see GOD.”

“Pure in heart” can also be translated as sincere.

At first glance this “Be Happy” looks very straight forward; if we keep our hearts clean we know that we will be rewarded by spending eternity in God’s presence, so we are happy. But like all of Jesus’ “Be Happy” attitudes I believe that there is an immediate “seeing” of God to be had in our being pure of heart.

I believe this because when I am walking the path chosen for me by Jesus I hear – literally hear – Him singing His songs of praise and speaking the words of His eternal kingdom in my ears. I also “see” Him answering my prayers – both spoken and unspoken.

But when I slip from His side and begin walking my own road - a short cut, if you will – I no longer hear His voice or see His hand upon my life and answering my prayers. It’s almost like I have had a knit cap pulled down low over my face and earplugs in my ears. I can still see through the weaves, though the images are distorted. I can also still hear, yet the words are unintelligible and muffled. So I stumble around on MY path blinded by the darkness and unable to hear the directions of my beloved Master. Thus I become disoriented, lost, alone and much, MUCH afraid. Far indeed from the happiness of His closeness I had felt only moments before. Only He didn’t move . . . I did!



Who else did Jesus say were to be happy?

9) “Happy are the peacemakers: for they shall see God.”

Ok, so those who seek to bring peace where there is none have the promise of getting to see God. The thought alone brings a smile to my face. But is that all Jesus meant in this? In my “Strong’s” is says: one that makes peace, quietness, rest, to set at one again. “To set at one again?” If we look at this in respect to one who is working for peace in a war zone, it would be one who is trying to bring the thoughts and attitudes of the opposing sides into a place of harmony, to one point of view.

But peace is not just the absence of conflict; it is a place of calm within the conflict, something like the calm in the eye of a hurricane or tornado. All around you the storms of life are raging and everything may be falling apart, literally exploding all round about you, yet there is a place of quiet where you can find peace and rest for your mind, body and soul. This is true peace.

So a peacemaker is the person God uses to show others where they can find this place of peace within themselves in the middle of the conflict in their lives. This person has the wonderful promise of being able to see God. I believe they don’t have to wait until eternity to get the fulfillment of this promise. I believe they can actually see God NOW! Not in his “physical” being, but in every situation where they are working to bring peace, they are trying to bring others to a place of oneness with God. So they can SEE HIM in each situation where they have reached their goal of bringing peace. And they see HIM in their own lives, which is full of the same peace they are working to bring to others!


The next “Happy are” Jesus shares is:

10) “Happy are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

We already learned that righteousness means being blameless before God. So, lets take a look at the meaning of persecuted. “Strong’s” said: one who is pursued or followed after. This isn’t very clear, so lets look at the dictionary: “To be pursued in order that the pursuer may inflict injury. To be harassed ill-treated or brought to harm, especially because of our religious opinions and beliefs.” OK that helps! So a believer who is being chased down, and harassed or beaten is to be happy because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. And Romans 14:17 KJV says that the Kingdom of God is “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Now this happiness is not the hilarity of being entertained by a comedian or other happenings, it is the happiness within ones’ spirit. It is joy! So when we are chased down and/or injured because of our faith in Jesus, we are happy because we have received the Kingdom of God, which is His righteousness, peace AND JOY!


The Last “Be Happy” Jesus spoke was:

11) “Happy are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My name’s sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Wow, what a mouthful. At first glance it looks like Jesus is just repeating the previous “be Happy” thought, but lets look a little deeper. So lets break it down it bite size pieces.

First lets find out what REVILE means: “Strong’s” give this definition; to defame, taunt, chide, rail at, upbraid. So what does that mean? Our dictionary reads: to cheapen, to address with abusive or shameful language, heap abuse upon, to slander (utter false statements about), vilify (to degrade), malign (to speak evil of with spite or ill will), asperse (to spread false reports), vituperate (to blame abusively, berate). OK, to revile means to speak the most horrible, but false, things about a person in order to make others think badly and to want abusive things to happen to the person you are talking about. And Persecute means to chase down in order to cause harm or injury. What exactly does EXCEEDINGLY mean? It means excessively or beyond the limits of all others.

OK, Those who are treated in this manner, because they love and follow Jesus, are not just to be happy, but also to rejoice and be exceedingly glad, gladder than any others could ever be. Because their reward will be very great in heaven, they are among a huge gathering of people throughout the ages; from the prophets and patriarchs of old down through the ages to those of tomorrow around the world that have and will suffer for being believers. All believers will suffer some kind of persecution, but not all will be martyrs for the cause of Christ. This is the group Jesus is speaking about in this “be happy” attitude. I have heard of those in the reformation who not only were killed in all sorts of horrible ways because of their beliefs, but also went to their deaths with smiles on their faces and the praises of Jesus on their lips until they drew their dying breaths. This happiness permeated their whole being even during the most hideous of tortures. This is the happiness Jesus said we could have now in the face of this type of persecution and abuse. He knew that there would be those in the days, years and even centuries ahead that would give their lives because they love Him more than their very lives.


After learning about all the situations we are to be happy in I then got to understanding that “happiness” is not just a feeling it is a choice we make in whatever situation we find ourselves. And when we find ourselves in any of the positions that Jesus was teaching about we have to choose to be full of happiness; full of His joy! We can choose to be happy when we are the poor in spirit. We can choose to be happy when we are in times of mourning. We can choose to be happy in our meekness, our gentleness. We can choose to happy as we seek to fill ourselves to overflowing with His righteousness. We can choose to be happy, as we are merciful and compassionate to those under our care in ministry or family. We can choose to be happy when we are faithfully following the path He has chosen for you. We can choose to be happy as we teach others how to fill their lives with the peace we have found in Jesus. We can choose to be happy when we are being harassed for the things of God that we hold dear to our hearts. And if we are among the few, we can choose to be happy as we follow Jesus in death for our faith in Him.

And for these choices we have made we will receive: The Kingdom of Heaven while we are here on earth. We shall have the Comforter giving us comfort from within. We shall regain our control of the earth and all that is in it. We shall be filled with righteousness and Godliness. We shall be full of His mercy – the unmerited favor of God. We shall see God in us, in others and in the things happening all around us. We shall be His children – joint heirs with Jesus now and forever. We will have all of this now, and great rewards in eternity with Jesus when He passes out the spoils of the victory round His great throne in heaven! Hallelujah!