Happy are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Happy are they who keep His decrees, who seek Him with their whole heart. They do no wrong, they walk in His ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in obeying Your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all Your commandments. I will praise You with an upright heart as I learn Your righteous laws. I will obey Your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. (Psalm 119: 1-8)
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Have you ever walked into a group of Christian people and felt compelled to dismiss your current sadness, hurt, hardship, or struggle in order to "put on a happy face?"
As a pastor, I notice this dilemma often... Sad people who dismiss their sadness in public for a fake sense of happiness. And what they do not realize is that most of the "happy-faced" people surrounding them are doing the exact same thing.
I know this because I see it. And I know this because I do it. I pause. Take a breath. Put on a smile. And walk out for others to see.
And though every single one of us have made a habit of this, there seems to be an inner part of ourselves that is not okay with doing it. In fact, when we do it, we feel incomplete. We feel insincere. We feel like something is missing. And we feel fake.
But what if this does not have to be the case? What if each of us overcame this habitual facade and chose sincerity. And what if there was a way to genuinely be happy, joyous, and delightful?
Today's passage speaks into this: "Happy are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Happy are they who keep His decrees, who seek Him with their whole heart..."
I - myself - read this and want to dismiss what it is saying. You see, deep inside me is the push back of not wanting to be "smiley" ALL THE TIME.
And you may feel this way too.
But let's not miss what this passage is really saying. The word "happy" does not mean the outward display of happy that we tend to imagine. Instead, in this context, it means "blessed" or being found in a "place of enjoyment."
Happiness - here - is less an emotion and more a position; a state of being.
And this joyous, blessed, and happy state of being is found for all of those whose "way is blameless," "who walk according to the law of the LORD," "who keep His decrees," and "who seek Him with their whole heart."
And know this: Being blameless is less about "not sinning" and is more about being complete, sincere, genuine, and authentic.
The Hebrew word focuses on the person being found guiltless and not liable for sin. Obviously this is something that is only true about us because of Christ's work on the cross.
With that said, being blameless as a follower of Christ does not mean that we concentrate on being perfect and "happy," instead we just concentrate on being real. If we are sad, then we are sad. If tired, then tired. If struggling, then struggling. If hurting, then hurting. (hopefully... you get the picture)
The sincere man's focus isn't on "what not to do," instead he focuses on living life in complete sincerity in all that he is doing. His focus is on living his new life in Christ whole heartedly. And because of this genuineness, he will experience life in the position or place of true enjoyment.
So regardless of how I feel emotionally, mentally, or physically, I can always be found in a position of true enjoyment because God has made me blameless. All I must do then, is sincerely live it out.
And when "fixed on His commands" we will no longer feel shame - we will not experience those inner thoughts of being incomplete and feeling fake.
So today, let us live with that level of sincerity - not putting on a "happy face" - but experiencing a life positioned in true enjoyment.
Thank you so much for joining us today! We would love your help: What stood out in today's devotion? What challenged you? Feel free to let us know by commenting in today's Instagram post: Instagram.com/DeclareGlory
Blessings,
Greg, Declare Glory
