There is a very interesting prophecy of Jesus about the church in the last days. I had read it very often, knew it by heart, and studied it many times, yet I never even noticed that this prophecy was there. I had never stopped to think about what it was saying.
It is also interesting that the Lord addresses His message specifically to those who will be living at the very end of the last days—that is, to us. For me, this revelation was like a flash of brilliant light that enabled me to see what I had neither seen nor known before.
I was also greatly surprised that this message contains a rebuke for me, because there are things in my life that should not be there. And the Lord’s words apply not only to me personally, but to all of us—to God’s children.
Let us stop speaking in riddles and discover what we still do not know. We read in Revelation 3:17: “For you say, ‘I am rich, I have become wealthy, and I need nothing,’ yet you do not know that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”
How powerfully this is stated—directly about our generation. And what did you learn? What did you hear? It is a familiar verse that everyone has read many times.
Now pay attention! Let us read it again, but for the moment focus only on what we need to see:
“Yet you do not know that you are miserable!”
To understand what misery is and why we are so pitiful, we must know what happiness is—and what it is not.
Let me get a little ahead of myself.
Friends, as I studied the science of happiness, I realized that we simply do not know what it is. Like the science of love, it is a mystery to us. We hear people speak about happiness all the time, but we can only guess what it looks like in real life—or see it portrayed in a movie. At the same time, we go through life believing that we are happy and never even questioning it. Yet the Faithful Witness states very clearly that I am miserable and do not even know it, because I have invented my own version of happiness, hidden myself within it, and convinced myself that, in some sense, I possess such a state.
If I do not understand what it means to be happy or how happiness works, I will sometimes experience it as something spontaneous, temporary, and unpredictable. Each time, I will wait for some outside influence to give me a little enjoyment in life.
But if I know how Jesus understands happiness, how to receive it, and how to live with it, then it will become something steady and constant—something that does not go out during life’s difficult moments but comes alive whenever it is needed. And, of course, a happy person can very quickly teach other people to be happy, provided that he himself understands what happiness is.
With what words does the Sermon on the Mount begin? With teaching about the happiness that people have lost. And it ends with the parable of two builders who decided to build that very happiness, but on different foundations. The first thing Jesus expressed was His desire to see all of us happy. He is deeply grieved when He sees us surrounded by so many blessings, yet suffering in the chains of our stereotypes, wishing emptiness upon one another, and chasing the wind as we try to catch dust and make it our possession. Yet happiness is very near. It is within reach. It is only a decision and an understanding away.
But a decision alone is not enough.
For example, if I decide to become wealthy—or extremely wealthy—that would be an interesting, even a very interesting, decision. But what comes next? I need knowledge, experience, and money to make my dream a reality. The road toward such a goal passes through many trials, disappointments, and losses. And if I finally accomplish this task, I realize that I am still only on the way. Looking back at the roads I have traveled, I understand that it is not all simple, yet neither is it difficult when you keep moving in that direction. But it is impossible to become wealthy while retaining the mind-set of a poor person. All the millions that may come to me will not remain in my hands. Like water, they will run through my fingers and disappear into the sand of needless spending.
The same is true of happiness. Only someone who has the mind-set of a happy person can be happy. And that requires knowledge, experience, and courage. To be happy is to challenge the entire world—a world that offers substitutes and counterfeits, that has trampled every principle of happiness into the dirt and replaced it with pleasure and enjoyment that are temporary, unstable, driven by the senses, yet highly impressive and attractive.
Everywhere we look, advertisements for happiness show us smiling faces, beautiful possessions, and wonderful vacation scenery. The soul dreams of having all these things, but we must work long and hard to obtain them. So we labor like oxen merely to taste a small piece of that long-awaited happiness. Meanwhile, life passes by, and there is nothing worth remembering. My entire journey through life resembles a hamster wheel: there is plenty of motion, but little meaning.
But as the Lord looks at me, He lovingly and hopefully tells me that I am miserable—and therefore pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. In response, I show Him my Bible, with every powerful thought highlighted in red; my deeds, which supposedly speak for themselves; my faith; and my nose held high with pride. Yet He invites me to visit His store and obtain what will make me truly happy and rich.
I deeply hope that after reading this lesson, you will understand who you truly are in God’s eyes and recognize that you need to become the person He desires us to be.
Being happy is like the life of an athlete who has trained for the Olympic Games, achieved victory, and now stands on the podium, rejoicing over the path he has traveled. Yet he must constantly contend with new rivals who dream of becoming better and taking his place.
In the Heavenly contest, however, happy people do not deprive others of happiness. Instead, they do everything possible to help those around them reach the same height they have attained. But the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms hate truly happy people and constantly fight against them, seeking to knock them from the victors’ podium and drag all their joy of victory into the dirt.
It is impossible to become an Olympic champion without rigorous training. The same principle of sustained effort in pursuit of victory applies to a happy life. There is no way to avoid struggle and perseverance. But we have a wonderful Coach. He prepares Heavenly champions of happiness, love, and friendship, and those who choose His school will never regret it.
To begin building our house of happiness, it is important to understand what happiness is not. Then we will not use inferior materials in its construction. The old, rotten structure that is cracking and periodically collapsing should be torn down. We need to draw up a plan and have it approved by Heaven’s executive council, understand what we want, and—most important of all—get up and go. We must begin the journey of a happy life regardless of the obstacles, wars, diseases, disasters, crises, hunger, and suffering taking place around us.
Happiness is not always a broad smile and a cloudless sky. It is, rather, God’s peace and the complete contentment that comes from the inner harmony of my spirit joined with eternal values.
The advantage of agape happiness is that I will be able to take it with me to Heaven. There it will remain mine forever, bringing joy to me, to Jesus, and to those around me. Because of it, I will always be able to devise new plans for reaching new territories where happiness already exists, but where my own happiness has not yet been shared.
It is difficult for me to agree with Jesus’ statement. But as I learn the science of a happy life, I understand that He is right and knows what He is saying. I am so grateful that, having begun a good work in me, He is bringing it to complete perfection, adding His grace to my efforts. And so we always walk together.
Bible verses for this chapter:
Matthew 7:24–27; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Revelation 3:14–18, 21; 16:15; 22:7; Zephaniah 2:3; 3:17; Isaiah 61:3–6; Luke 5:36–38; Romans 12:1–3; 1 Corinthians 2:10–16