Today's Verses - Luke 6:22-23 (NIV): 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

Paul exhorts Christian believers to comfort in knowing that because of their persecution they are assured of being God's people, and because of their faith in Jesus Christ, they will share in God's kingdom with those prophets who came before.

Today's Comments: We, as human beings, can draw happiness from two sources: things of the world and our faith in God. The Beatitudes remind us that it is the things from God that bring us lasting joy and happiness and that the things of the world are just fleeting and temporary. What we sometimes mistake for happiness in the world include material goods, wealth, social status, power and influence. Such things may bring us temporary satisfaction, but that satisfaction can easily turn to dissatisfaction, as we want for more or fail to get our way in all that we desire, or get caught in conflict with the desires and aspirations of others. True happiness can only come from our love of God and neighbor and our obedience to God's commandments. Everything else in the world is fleeting.