Pursuit of Happiness: The Merciful

Droves of us are unhappy, lonely, medicated, and discontented. Marketing campaigns hone in on our sadness, offering us antidotes that will supposedly inject happiness into our lives. We’re savvy. We know what’s goin’ on. But we still buy it. Literally. Jesus doesn’t want to be “just another voice” competing for our business. He came to initiate a new Kingdom on earth that would reflect the upside-down values of heaven. At the beginning of his “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5:1-12) – in a little section traditionally called “The Beatitudes” – Christ taught us some of the right attitudes for a contented, joyful life. He wasn’t/isn’t offering a “happiness” that is dependent upon what “happens” to you daily but an indestructible joy that rises above the up-and-down circumstances of our lives. Jesus’ “marketing” strategy – if He has one – is this: These Beatitudes are working in the lives of millions of contented people around the globe who are living out the values of His Kingdom.