Be Joyful
It Starts with a Joyful Heart.
Happiness is primarily shaped by our outlook on life, not by our circumstances. If we learn to be grateful regardless of our circumstances, it can significantly enhance our overall happiness. Billy Sunday said, “The trouble with many men is that they have got just enough religion to make them miserable.”
Do you know how the apostle Paul began most of his letters in the Bible? To the church in Rome, he wrote. “First, I thank my God for all of you.” (Romans 1:8) To the church in Corinth. “I always thank God for you (1 Corinthians 1:4). To the church in Ephesus, “I have not stopped giving thanks for you; remembering you in my prayers.” (Ephesians 1:16). To the church in Philippi, “I thank my God every time I remember you.” (Philippians 1:3). To the church in Colossi, “I always thank God when I pray for you.” (Colossians 1:3).
However, he asked the grumpy Christians of Galatia: “What has happened to all your joy…” Some Christians need to ask themselves that question today: What has happened to all my joy? A gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms, and nothing in all religious history has hurt Christianity more than Christians acting like fallen angels, like Adam and Eve after their fall in the Garden of Eden.
Paul wrote the happiest book in the New Testament, the Book of Philippians, while he was in prison. In other words, he refused to let his circumstances steal his joy. Instead of seeing the thorns among the roses, he saw the roses among the thorns. He saw the cup as half full rather than half empty.
A study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine indicates that laughter benefits cardiovascular health. According to the school’s website, the study involved 20 healthy, non-smoking volunteers who watched parts of two movies “at the extreme ends of the emotional spectrum.” When viewing a film like Saving Private Ryan, researchers found that blood flow from the participants’ hearts was restricted. Conversely, when volunteers watched a comedy and laughed a lot, the opposite happened.
The study confirms previous research that mental stress narrows the blood vessels. It also reaffirms a well-known biblical truth, which states, “A merry heart does you good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17:22).
My experience is that people don’t complain because they have many problems; they have problems because they complain. Whining becomes a chronic habit if you don’t keep it in check. Complaining doesn’t change anything or improve situations. It amplifies frustration, spreads discontent and discord, and can invite the devil to cause havoc in our lives. Complaining makes us miserable. Psalm 77:3 says, “I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed.”
I challenge you to try to quit complaining for a whole month. Just try it. When you feel tempted to complain, instead of voicing your complaint, praise God for something good in your life. It will change your life. Philippians 2:13 says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”
Don’t complain about those dirty dishes; thank God you have dishes. Dirty dishes mean you have food in your house. Millions of people would be grateful just to have one meal today. Don’t complain about paying the rent; it means you have a roof over your head. Think of the millions who lack clean, running water. If you woke up feeling healthy this morning, you’re more blessed than the thousands of people in hospitals you pass every day. If you have twenty dollars in your pocket and a place to sleep tonight, you are wealthier than 75 percent of the world. Consider the thousands in prison for their faith or political beliefs. As Corrie Ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
A life lived without joy and laughter is like living in a land devoid of sunshine, rainbows, blue skies, lakes, and streams. A joyless world is a desert where nothing grows. “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” We can rejoice because, regardless of what befalls us, He is in control. “Glory, Glory Hallelujah His Truth Is Marching On.”
When I first discovered Zephaniah 3:17, I had to read it several times because it was such an illumination to me. It seemed so laughable; I can remember falling back in my chair and giving myself one of those “Shoulda had a V-8” thumps. Is this how God feels about His children, you? “The LORD your God is with you; he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Rejoice over me/you! Rejoice over me/you with singing! Doesn’t such love do your heart good like medicine? Does not love so amazing, so divine, demand your soul, your life, your all?
God delights in you and bursts into song when He thinks about you! It’s hard to grasp, hard to take it all in. I love how the Living Bible paraphrases this verse: “Is that a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song.” Ahhh-maazing!
In closing, ponder on the words of the prophet Habakkuk: (Habakkuk 3:17-19),
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
The words “I will” tell us that Habakkuk made a choice not to become a whiner or an old grouch. He did not deny the harsh circumstances around him but chose instead not to sink into despair, choosing to rejoice in God’s presence and power. His decision to rejoice wasn’t a denial of hardship or sorrow. We will face times of sorrow and grief.
Even Jesus wept. But he knew that weeping may endure for the night, but JOY comes in the morning.
The Best Is Yet to Be!
Pastor Robert Bryant
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