If I were to ask you this morning “What makes you happy?” how would you answer? Perhaps your answer would be friends and family. We are all born with a need for social connections. Did you realize that physical touch, like a hand shake or a hug releases endorphins in our brain which is a type of a natural drug akin to an opiate?
Meaningful work was another form of happiness. We find ourselves extremely happy when are engaged in an activity that makes us forget ourselves and lose track of time. We have within us a natural trait to achieve our potential. When we finish our task and are happy with the results we achieve a higher level of happiness.
Positive thinking can actually lead to a feeling of happiness. We achieve this level of happiness by refusing to compare ourselves with others. We also can choose to believe the better option. For example, your spouse works late due to their work load and not because they have no desire to spend more time with you.
Gratitude can make us happy, both receiving it and showing it. We all enjoy someone appreciating something we have done for them. And we also want to make others happy by showing our gratitude to them.
There is happiness to be found in forgiveness. When we are angry with someone we find ourselves depressed. Allowing these angry feelings to be replaced by forgiveness will bring you a peace of mind and happiness.
Another avenue to happiness is giving of your time to others. When we are struggling with finding happiness we should volunteer at some organization.
Of course we have our religion to bring us happiness. We have a need within to believe in some religious belief. And connecting with that belief can bring us happiness.
Along with our right to our beliefs we also have the right to personal freedom. We cannot seem to find happiness living in a situation where we are not allowed to determine our own fate or make our own choices.
It is a fact that good health contributes to our happiness. It is wonderful to wake in the morning and feel well, to be able to achieve our goals, and rest peacefully at night.
And surprisingly watching TV brings happiness to some. Perhaps it is the escape from reality.
However one day things seem to spiral downward. Our TV does not function. We have the chance to take a look in the mirror and realize that our health is failing. We call our employer to inform them of our illness only to discover that we not have the choice of working or not. All that our religion has taught us about trust and things working to our benefit are now in doubt.
As we reluctantly travel to our job we pass a motorist in need. Not being in the spirit of giving at the moment we leave them stranded. We suddenly have a memory of someone who left us stranded once and realize that we still harbor resentment toward them. We have a broken TV set, failing health, a job that forces us to work, and a weak religious belief. We have nothing for which to be grateful.
As we head for our work station we notice who has a better job than us, who has a better relationship with the management, and who seems to be moving up the ladder of success. We realize how lousy our job is and ask ourselves “Why do I put up with this everyday?” and come to the conclusion it’s for our family and friends who do not appreciate us.
Happiness is fleeting and there is no wonder as to why. The root word for happy comes from the Old Norse noun “happ”. This same root word also meant luck and circumstance. We are happy when things are going our way and luck is on our side.
However when circumstances turn on us and we find ourselves in despair, we find that happiness has left us. That is why God did not expect us to be able to bear the spiritual fruit of happiness but rather the spiritual fruit of joy. Happiness comes from the external events surrounding us but joy comes from our relationship with Jesus.
In Philippians 4:4 Paul wrote “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” Paul wrote this letter from a Roman prison where he had been held for two years waiting his execution. I do not believe for a moment that Paul was filled with happiness over his imprisonment but he was full of joy.
Where happiness is based on circumstances, joy is an attitude. Joy is a choice. It is your choice to rejoice. Joy is what makes life enjoyable. If you cannot think of any reasons to rejoice let me suggest three.
Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” As a follower of Jesus we have hope. No situation is completely hopeless.
It has been stated that a person can live forty days without food, three days without water, eight minutes without air, but not one second without hope. It is estimated that 88 people commit suicide everyday in the United States, 22 of those are veterans. When you reach the point that there is no hope, death is the ultimate release.
We place our hope in a lot of things. We hope our jobs last. We hope our health remains good. We hope our family does not disappoint us. Lately, we hope we continue to have health insurance at our workplace. But all these things are tedious at best. From where does our hope come?
Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”
Our hope comes from our faith. Beyond our circumstances we can rejoice in the fact that we stand righteous before God with the knowledge that He wishes to show his glory through us. We can have the faith that He desires for us to prosper and be filled with joy.
Next, as a follower of Jesus we have opportunities to suffer.
Romans 5:3-4 “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”
On the surface this does not appear to be a reason to be filled with joy. But let me be allowed to share with you my gym experience.
Since I retired from my secular job I decided to begin an exercise program. Three times a week I go to the gym. (No snickering allowed.) Most times I do not feel like going but I motivate myself to do so. When I first started in May I was walking a mile in 20 minutes, riding the stationary bike for one mile, and doing 10 reps at 30 pounds for 3 times. I spent about an hour there. I am now walking a mile in 15 minutes, riding the bike for four miles, and doing 30 reps at 90 pounds for 3 times. Now I spend two hours there.
Going to the gym was a trial for me. I pushed myself to go and have developed endurance. This endurance has led me to be stronger. However the real payoff came on my last doctor visit when he informed me that I had lowered my cholesterol.
Paul does not tell us to be filled with joy because of our problems. He says to be filled with joy when you have problems. Why? Because God is preparing to do something.
First He helps us learn how to endure. The Greek word meant “the ability to handle pressure.” His desire for us to be able to withstand the pressure caused by our problems and trials. After this we develop our character; that is we are proven reliable. This then develops into confident hope. God allows problems not to destroy our hope but to build it.
When problems come our way we joyfully face them and prove to ourselves we can handle the pressure. In doing so we prove our faith to be reliable. And faith always leads to hope. Be filled with joy when you have problems because God is making you stronger.
Also as a follower of Jesus we have God as a friend.
Romans 5:11 “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”
Romans 5:10 reminds us that once we were the enemies of God. But Jesus reconciled us to God when He died on the cross. Now we live with this promise found in Isaiah 43:2
“When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.”
Take note that God did not promise that we would not have problems and trials in our lives. In fact He promised the contrary. He also promised however, that when we go through deep waters of suffering He would be with us. He promised that the difficulties of life would not drown us. He promised in the face of oppression He would protect us. He promised us that by our faith problems would not overwhelm us.
As I stated earlier my time spent at the gym has helped me increase in endurance and strength. Joy is like working out at the gym. The more you exercise your joy, the stronger it becomes.
So I would like to share my joy exercise with you. You may need to start slowly and build into it but remember that you must endure to be strong.
Our first exercise I call “tighten your thankfulness.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Notice Paul writes that we should be thankful in all circumstances not for all circumstances. God does not desire for us to wear masks covering our pain and sorrow. He is not looking for hypocrites. He is looking for thankful people.
This week start to become a more thankful person. Thank God for allowing you to rise to face another day. Look for occasions throughout your day for which to be thankful. As you close your eyes to sleep take an inventory of all those thankful occasions instead of all your worries.
Also be a thankful person to those around you. Instead of concentrating on the negativity of people look for reasons to say “Thank you.” Every kind and courteous act leveled toward you should be followed by an attitude of thankfulness on your part.
As you continue with this exercise daily you will notice a change, not only in yourself but in others around you. People will desire to be around you. There is great joy found in relationships.
Plus we all say we want to know God’s will for our lives. His will is for us to be thankful in all circumstances.
The next exercise I call “grind your giving.”
Acts 20:35 “And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
The word blessed in Greek had several meanings. The word not only meant receiving God’s favor but also to be happy about receiving God’s favor and to be fortunate to receive God’s favor.
Paul is relaying this fact to us. We will receive more of God’s favor and fortune when we give. This will lead us to be filled with joy.
When we give we are more like God than when we receive. There are 35 references in the Bible that states “God gave.” The one which profited us the most was “God gave his only son.”
God receives our worship and praise and shares them with no one. God warns us that He is a jealous God and we are to have no god’s before him. He is worthy to receive.
There is a danger when we receive. When we receive we could become prideful of what we have. We could fall into the trap of being jealous for what we want. We may place our own desires ahead of the greater need. When we do not receive the recognition we feel we deserve then we find no joy.
To be filled with joy, give. Give of your resources. Give of your time. Give until you have nothing left to give because then God will give you more. “If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! (Malachi 3:10) A blessing; more fortune, more favor, more joy.
Next let’s loosen our lives.
Mark 8:35 “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”
We need to let loose of our lives to serve Jesus. This does not mean we are to become martyrs. It means we need to set aside our desires and wants for the sake of the Gospel. We are to be seeking opportunities to serve in the Kingdom.
Paul writes in Ephesians 6:7 “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
We are to serve in his body, the church, with enthusiasm, not begrudgingly. When you are in the nursery or teaching the children, you should not feel like a babysitter but rather a laborer for Jesus. I come here every Monday to mop floors and clean toilets. I don’t do this for our landlord. I do this for our Lord. I am honored to have the time to pray for our church, the landlord’s business, and her customers. I actually leave here with joy in my heart because I spent an hour in service.
Jesus was not making the statement that hanging on to your life would make you die. He was saying it would rob you of joy. Begin to serve him with enthusiasm and watch your joy grow.
Lastly, let’s stand for Jesus.
Luke 15:10 “In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
When is the last time you shared your faith with someone? Have you looked for opportunities to do so? Often God gives us those chances and we let them slip by us. We may not be comfortable with sharing. We may fear being seen as foolish. Perhaps our own lifestyle around others makes us feel disqualified.
But how would you like to be responsible for a party breaking out in heaven? Wouldn’t it be great to know the very angels in heaven were filled with joy because you got the nerve to witness to someone about Jesus?
Every time you share the gospel with a soul which is lost you has planted a seed. There is a good chance that the seed grew and that sinner repented and the party began. You want to be filled with joy, then share the Gospel every chance you get.
Let me leave you today with the words written by Paul as he set in a Roman prison waiting to die.
“And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.
But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.” (Philippians 1:12-14, 2:17-18)
Let’s leave here today with a determination not to find happiness but to find joy.
