6 Ways to Find and Keep Joy in Your Life

            In this post, we’re still shouting and celebrating in joy, so let’s continue the hunt through the Old Testament for verses to encourage us in the search! We’ll uncover 6 ways to ensure you find and keep joy in your life.

            There are many passages in Proverbs that indicate God wants us to be happy and joyful, and they also give us tips for achieving those sometimes-illusive emotions. Proverbs 3:13 is a good place to start.

Happy is the man who finds

            wisdom,

And the man who gains

            understanding.

           

            This happy is a happy or blessed emotion. Like an interjection: Happy! Real happy. Ecstatic! And the cause of that kind of happiness is finding and gaining wisdom and understanding. Don’t you like learning something, understanding it and being able to use it? Wisdom by which to order your life? Wisdom of God. Understanding about what decisions to make. It make life smoother and more enjoyable. Not always easier, but better, fuller, richer.

            The next two passages from Proverbs also use happy in the same way.

Proverbs 14:21:

But he who has mercy on the poor,

            happy is he.

           

            A merciful heart and actions of mercy make your heart happy. Our actions do indeed affect our demeanor. How are your actions today affecting your mood, attitude and countenance?

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no revelation, the

            people cast off restraint;

But happy is he who keeps the law.

           

            Here’s a passage many won’t warm up to, because they want to be the captain of their own ships. They want to “live life on their own terms.” It brings to mind a young man I heard on the radio the other day. He’s an atheist, and he said that being an atheist is “kind of freeing.” Essentially, he felt free having no rules, no moral obligations, nothing to bog down his lifestyle; nothing over which to feel guilty or encumbered. I’m sure he would consider himself a moral person, but then you’d have to swing back to asking him on what he bases his morality, and that would lead you into a discussion of “the law”. For without the law, there really is no concept of morality, truth, or justice. And I’m quite sure he considers atheism “truth.”  

           

            What I found most interesting, though, is that I consider being a Christian— believing in God and being saved by a Savior who loves me unconditionally—the most freeing thing in the world! When I was living as though I rejected it, I felt more chained-up and burdened than I ever feel now. Whatever burdens I have now are most often of my own or someone else’s creation. While we no longer live under the law, knowing the law and God’s word, and then knowing what we’ve been saved from and saved for is freeing beyond comprehension. That knowledge makes me happy, Happy, HAPPY!

Proverbs 12:20 takes us back to being of joy.

Deceit is in the heart of those who

            devise evil,

But counselors of peace have joy.

           

            Down with deception, scheming and revenge, and up with being counselors of peace! Put away the devising of nasty, sharp retorts and get-even plans. Inasmuch as it is possible for you, live in peace with everyone. Do not repay evil for evil, but repay evil with good. (One of the hardest instructions in the Bible, I think.) Don’t think about it in your mind or plan it in your heart. Don’t let such schemes or actions steal your joy!

           

            Our final passages today will be from the Book of Ecclesiastes, both of which have a fullness of joy concept.

           

First we’ll look at Ecclesiastes 9:7.

Go eat your bread with joy,

And drink your wine with a merry

            heart;

For God has already accepted your

            works.

           

            This passage is an encouragement to people to enjoy the fruits of their labors, no matter how meager or bountiful they might be. Be happy. Be cheerful. Rejoice over your blessings. Give thanks to God, the One who provides them. He’s happy with you!

            Finally, I’d like to back-up in Ecclesiastes and finish today’s post with Chapter 5, verses 19-20.

“As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.”

           

            The King James Version renders “dwell unduly” as “not much remember”. And The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language states the two verses this way (I’ll start at verse 18):

“After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live.”

           

            Our joy should be wrapped up in God and the gifts He gives us: the ability to labor, the bounty of our labor, the delight of being able to labor! Having joy also means focusing on the present, not the past and not the future. Not expanding energy wastefully or needlessly.

           

            So what are the take-aways from this study?

1) Hunt for and gain wisdom. (The first place to start is God’s word!)

2) Be and act merciful to others. (Love truth and seek mercy.)

3) Study, know and follow God’s word, to order and enrich your life.

4) Let peace reign in your heart, and be a promoter of peace.

5) Be fruitful in your labors and then enjoy that fruit.

6) Don’t spend too much time worrying about or pondering over your life and the days you (might) have on Earth. Enjoy today by:

           

            ~ Taking care of yourself physically and emotionally so you can labor.

            ~ Enjoying the fruits of that labor.

            ~ Making the most of whatever job you have for as long as you have it.

Next week, we’ll dive into New Testament joy!

So, until then,

Thanks for joining me!

Blessings,

Andrea

photo credit: Andrea Arthur Owan 2015

4 Steps to Make Sure Joy Comes in the Morning

            Do you feel depressed, frustrated, afraid, or lonely? Fear not, for joy comes in the morning! Let’s continue today with our look at whether or not God wants us to be happy and joyful.

            First, we’ll head back to the Psalms to looked at Psalm 30:5.

His favor is for life;

Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy comes in the morning.

            There it is again. Joy. In this case, a shout of joy, cry, proclamation, rejoicing, singing, triumph. We can see again how God gives us joy. And if He’s giving, He must want us to be joyful!

Psalm 32:11, 35:27 and 42:4 shout joy, too.

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you

            righteous;

And shout for joy, all you upright in

            heart!

Let them shout for joy and be glad,

Who favor my righteous cause;

And let them say continually,

Let the LORD be magnified,

Who has pleasure in the prosperity of

            His servant.

When I remembered these things,

I pour out my soul within me.

For I used to go with the multitude;

I went with them to the house of

            God,

With the voice of joy and praise,

With a multitude that kept a pilgrim

            feast.

           

            Again, these are shouting cries of gladness and joy; proclamations. The psalmist remembers what used to bring him joy. Read the last verse of Psalm 42 and you will find it identical to the next Psalm passage.

Psalm 43:4 says:

Then I will go to the altar of God,

To God my exceeding joy;

And on the harp I will praise You,

O God, my God.

           

            This Psalm is an interesting one, because the Psalmist prays this right after asking God to vindicate him, to plead his case for him; to deliver him. He tells God that he feels cast off by Him, as though God has forgotten him.

           

            And then he asks himself a rhetorical question: Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? And he reminds himself that he can get out of that mourning mode by asking God to send His light and truth to him, and, probably, to others. And he expects that light and truth to lead him right to God so that he can praise Him. The joy here is a great joy, gladness and rejoicing.

           

            And at the end of the Psalm is the final reminder, the pep talk to himself:

Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within

            me?

Hope in God;

For I shall yet praise Him,

The help of my countenance and my

            God.

            He asks himself the question and then tells his disquieted soul how to be happy, how to regain that joy. What’s the answer he gives? Hope. Specifically: hope in God. The hope that makes his face transform from slumping to smiling! I can almost hear him say, “What’s the matter with me!? What am I thinking? I know how to fix this and my downtrodden spirit! Hope! Hope in God who restores joy!”

           

            Then there is the well-known Psalm 126:5-6:

Those who sow in tears

Shall reap in joy.

He who continually goes forth

            weeping,

Bearing seed for sowing,

Shall doubtless come again with

            rejoicing,

Bringing his sheaves with him.

           

            Another shout of joy, a triumphant song! A reminder that this too shall pass, and there will again be cause for celebration. Hope, trust and faith.

           

            Are you not experiencing joy? Does your morning just bring more heartache and frustration? Would you rather stay in bed than get up and go about business with a smile on your face?

           

            If you’re lacking joy and happiness, pray for it. Fervently. Hope in the One who can restore it to you. And expect great answers from God!

1) Remember (remind yourself frequently) that joy comes after pain;

2) Give yourself a pep talk, and HOPE! And if you’re lacking hope, pray for more!

3) Remember those activities (and people) who gave you so much joy, and reunite with them.

4) Remind yourself of God’s faithfulness to restore what you are lacking.

            We’ll continue the discussion next week with more Old Testament joy passages.

So until next week,

Thanks for joining me!

Blessings,

Andrea

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/56380734@N05/5216016972">Celestial joy</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)</a>

God Wants Us to Be Happy!

           

            Does God want us to be joyful and happy? In my last post, I confided to you that I think He does, and I promised to support my beliefs in this post. So let’s get right to it with some passages from the Old Testament.

            The Old Testament is full of “joy” passages. The Book of Psalms is loaded with them. In Psalm 5:11 we read:

But let all those rejoice who put their

            trust in You;

Let them ever shout for joy, because

            You defend them;

Let those also who love Your name

Be joyful in You.

           

            In this passage, the psalmist sings that those who trust in God should be always and forever shouting for joy. Shouting for joy. Not just smiling, but SHOUTING! The word joy in this passage is glee or exceeding gladness, mirth, pleasure, rejoicing. And the “joyful” can be translated as “jumping for joy.”

           

            This is an ecstatic kind of joy. And what is the reason for it?

           

            God. We are giddy and celebratory, because God is our defender.

           

            Can you imagine what the world would think if all believers in God walked around celebrating, shouting and rejoicing about Him!? I think they’d be stunned, because right now the world sees us as judgmental, argumentative, narrow-minded, and definitely not much more joyful than the rest of the world. In some instances, many of us maybe even act more severe and morose than the general population. We really need to seriously ask ourselves: If God is for us, why are we not ecstatic?

In Psalm 16:11 we read:

You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At your right hand are pleasures

            forevermore.

           

            Again we see that when we are “practicing the presence of God,” as Brother Lawrence so beautifully worded it, our communing with God makes it impossible not to be joyful! Fully joyful. If that is true, then I think all we have to do is enter into His presence to experience that kind of joy. And if we’re not experiencing it, maybe we need to ask ourselves if we lack joy because we have not asked and we have not been spending critical time that we need with Him to be filled up with that joy. And why wouldn’t we be driven to spend that kind of time with Him if His right hand extends eternal pleasures to us?

In Psalm 21:1, King David says:

The king shall have joy in Your

            strength, O LORD:

            And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

           

            Joy in this passage means to “brighten up, cheer up, be made glad, making merry.” And why does David make merry? He’s reveling in God’s strength (not his own); and he rejoices in God’s salvation. Knowing that we have salvation, and being secure in that knowledge, should be a cause for celebrating! And how do you rejoice? The definition of rejoice in this passage evokes quite a word picture. It stems from the root word that means to spin around, the way you would when you are “under the influence of any violent emotion.” I’ve seen thousands of sports fans do that when their beloved athletic team wins big, but I don’t see too many believers spinning around, shouting and carrying on about God and His salvation. People would probably think we were not quite right.

           

            For me, it brings back memories of the Jesus movement in the late sixties and early seventies, when young Christians in the United States gathered together as a hippie countercultural movement, in an effort to draw believers back to the early church model. The movement started on the West Coast. Those passionate, rejoicing, giddy, exuberant and vocal followers of Jesus were dubbed “Jesus freaks.” They stood out for their passion, love, purpose and focus. They carted their Bibles around with them and weren’t afraid to identify with their Savior. They were “sold out” for Jesus, and they let everyone know about it. As a high school junior, I attended one of those revival meetings in a tent in California, where Pastor Chuck Smith—the founder of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California—drew thousands of California teens. (My Chemistry class lab partner, Georgia, invited me to attend with her.) While I didn’t have enough guts to venture down front so everyone could see me, it changed my life. After that, I couldn’t get enough of Jesus and His word, and I was HAPPY!! JOYFUL! Changed. In a heartbeat. I’ve berated myself a thousand times for letting others “steal” that joy from me. For giving it away so easily. How could I forfeit something so precious?

           

           

            Moving on to Psalm 26:7, we find David once again talking about joy. And this time he’s offering sacrifices of it.

And now my head shall be lifted

            up above my enemies all

            around me.

Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy

            in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to

            the LORD.

           

            Joy. A "battle cry, an alarm, a clamor of trumpets, a shout." Nothing silent here. It’s another jubilee moment for David, when he wants everyone to hear his happiness and understand why he’s so joyful. While it’s true that the sacrifices in this passage involved the Old Testament animal sacrifices, we don’t need to offer those anymore. Jesus took care of that on the cross. He was the eternal and final sacrifice for which we now offer to Him our joy. So now we can offer different sacrifices of joy. Have you ever considered your joyful worship and celebration something that God considers a sacrifice? Something that He finds immensely pleasing?

           

            When I read this passage, I imagine David offering sacrifices of joy for two reasons: First, because of what He knows God is going to do for him in the future; and then after what God ends up doing for him. There is joy both before and after the event. Joy. Always joy!

           

           

            We’ll end it right there today. We’ll cover more passages in the next several weeks, leading right up to the United States’ holiday of Thanksgiving. When this entire nation responds with joy and thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving in America was initiated by my ancestors, who were members of the sect of Pilgrims who left England due to religious persecution. And they organized this Thanksgiving celebration for one purpose: To thank God for His blessings and harvest, for the new Native American friends they had met, learned to live with, and with whom they had established a covenant.           

           

            Did they overflow with joy because life was easy, and because after sailing to the New World everything went perfectly and all of the immigrants had made it safely through the first year? No. They celebrated in spite of heavy losses. (Many, including my great, great, great, great….grandparents and uncle died in that first winter due to bitter cold, lack of food, and disease.) They celebrated in spite of their struggles and frustrations because they knew that the only reason any of them survived, and were able to become established in this new land and reap any kind of edible harvest, was due to God’s goodness, mercy, blessings, and His defense.

            

           Yes, God does want us to be happy. And we have so much for which to be joyful and celebrate!

            So as we go through this week, take heart, and be joyful, because you know:

            1) God is your defense.

            2) He is strong and provides you with salvation.

            3) He does lift up your head when life seems as dark as it can possibly get.

           

            Joy! It’s our battle cry! Join the celebration parade. Be happy, be giddy, rejoice, for that demeanor and emotion is a pleasing sacrifice to God!

Until next week,

Thanks for joining me!

With great joy,

Andrea

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44345361@N06/14967475145">Happy World Photography Day!!!</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>