For a few weeks this summer we are looking at what Jesus taught us about the true secrets to living a happy life.

In the Beatitudes (Matthew 5), Jesus lays out eight standards for Christian living. You might call these the “8 Secrets of a Happy Life.” Everyone wants to be happy. But not everyone is eager to follow Jesus’ plan on how to find happiness. We need to pray and ask the Lord to help us live out these eight characteristics in our lives. The Beatitudes show us the way to be blessed and happy. They are also eight great things we need to pray become real in our own lives.

The eighth beatitude states, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Many first-century Christians faced serious persecution for their faith. Some even died for their faith. Today, most of us will not be asked to die for our faith but all of us are asked to live for our faith. How can we best do that? As a Christian in a non-Christian culture, we know there will always be a collision of values, a deterioration of morals, and an absence of God fearing. But as salt and light, we must occupy until Christ returns and, even more, advance His Kingdom however we can.

Ask God to help you advance His Kingdom today. Pray that you will be salt and light in a world that desperately needs to be drawn to Christ and shown the way. A great prayer to pray each day is “God use me and make me useable for your glory.”