Devotion 

Blessed is He

Frances Taylor 

Blessed is often a synonym for "happy." If happy is what we want to be, then the psalmist gives us some ideas as to how to achieve it. The main thing he tells us is what not to do and who to avoid. Understand whose advice we listen to comes first. It can be difficult to know who is wicked, who is trying to lead us away from God. As we know, Satan will never come to us offering us something unpleasant; everything Satan offer us looks good. What's in it for me, is a question that isn't asked by the person putting God first! But it is often the way the "wicked" entice us to make our decisions. Scoffers, the nay-sayers in our company are the ones who often question the very existence of God. Religion is considered bunk and people who believe, fools. Get what you can now, how do you know there's an afterlife? Do these people in our lives make us happy? Not me!

I find my happiness with positive people who believe as I do in a loving, compassionate and forgiving God. To be happy, we need to get our counsel from Scripture. Most people read the Ten Commandments and think they know them. But read a little further and the commandments are broken down into some very specific rules to live by. Jesus goes further with the Beatitudes, another list that promises happiness and is an important part of his Sermon on the Mount. If we meditate on these guidelines and from them take counsel, our life may not be free of pain or trouble, but we will be happy.

Prayer 

Lord, may I love your laws. Amen.