Be joyful

It doesn’t help the cause of Christ when His followers go around looking miserable. You say, “But I have problems.” Everybody does. When the apostle Paul was in prison, he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4 NIV). Expressing joy is something you do in spite of your circumstances, not because of them. The Bible says, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3 NIV). God has put a well of joy within you, but you have to draw it out and share it with others. Joy is contagious. Happiness travels through relational networks like ripples on a pond. It’s so robust, in fact, that it can permeate three degrees of separation. That means your happiness quotient is more likely to increase when a friend of a friend of a friend becomes happy. We hunger for joy. “Satisfy us in the morning,” writes the psalmist – but not with more money or power or applause. No, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14 NIV). Joyful people make us come alive. The Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV). We love joy, but often we forget how powerful it is. Joy gives us the strength to resist temptation. It gives us the ability to persevere. It’s the Velcro that makes relationships stick. It gives us the energy to love. We don’t just need air, food, and water; we need joy. And the person who brings it is like an oasis in a desert land. So today, be joyful.