Living a Lifestyle of Joy
Various Scriptures
August 24, 2003
Introduction
We all like being around people who are generally upbeat, don’t we?
I mean, if you had your choice of being with someone who had a smile or someone who looked like he was weaned on sour lemons, who would you most likely pick?
I’d pick the smiley guy almost every time, and here’s why.
One thing I have never been able to understand is the notion of a grumpy Christian.
Grumpy Christian. To me that seems like an oxymoron on the same level as jumbo shrimp, or plastic glass, or congressional budget cuts.
If you were to put a subtitle on this message, it would be, "Lighten Up!"
It’s genuinely hard for me to understand how someone who claims to be walking with God could be grumpy for any length of time.
You know the kid’s song, "If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands?" I’d like to re-word that a bit and sing, "If you¡¦re happy and you know it, tell your face."
Now let me be quick to say that I am not talking about sadness. I am not talking about genuine SORROW.
Painful losses in our lives can steal our joy, although I also believe Scripture teaches that joy can still be a major component of those who have lost someone or something they value.
And I am not talking about some fake happiness. I would never suggest we walk around with a plastic smile on our face pretending that everything is okay all the time.
Things happen, things go wrong, and we are faced with heartache and hurt.
I’m not talking about that.
I’m talking about a basic attitude, how we carry ourselves.
Let me ask you a question. How would others characterize your attitude - your "bearing," if you will?
Do they see you living a life of joy, peace, and rest, or do they see someone who looks like they have no hope for today, much less for eternity?
Which attitude do you think will be more likely to attract someone to the gospel?
Think about it - why would anyone want to be a Christian if the ones he sees are always sullen and grumpy?
Can you imagine someone with a perpetually long face trying to tell someone the "Good News?"
"What’s so good about it? The prospect of being as cheerful and excited as you? No thanks!"
My purpose today is to encourage you to be the type of person other people point to when they are discussing people they like being around.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, comes from being a person characterized by joy.
There are over 200 references to joy in the Bible.
By joy, I don’t mean "happiness," because happiness is dependent on circumstances. Heartburn from eating a pizza too fast can make you unhappy, right?
Joy is an inward attitude that has God as its OBJECT and its SOURCE. It’s much deeper than happiness, and can present even in the midst of pain.
Why? Because the focus of joy is not the pain or the circumstance, but God.
How do we become people who live a lifestyle of joy?
1. Find Joy in the Lord.
First, as I just mentioned, joy has God as its object and its source.
If you can focus on Him, then it is easier to have joy in Him.
Listen to Psalm 28:7-
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
Just taking the time to think of all He has done for you in securing your salvation and in offering you a full and abundant life will go a long way to experiencing that joy.
Take some time to look over His wonderful promises in Scripture given so that you and I who don¡¦t deserve it can live lives in close relationship with Him.
He has gone above and beyond the call of duty, so to speak, to give you eternal life in heaven and a full life here on earth.
Rejoice! Not only has He given you breath for today, we’re told in Ephesians that He has given us every spiritual blessing in Christ!
He has promised to be active in your life at all times. The great, awesome, mighty God of all creation is also all-loving.
Join with King David in allowing your heart to leap for joy and give thanks to Him.
There is joy in the Lord.
Next...
2. Find joy in your salvation.
PS 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
When I was a freshman down at SDSU, I was visiting my grandparents outside Watertown for Christmas.
One of my uncles and I had spent hours the night before discussing the fact that I had given my life to Christ a couple months before that.
But one night my grandmother was playing some Christmas music on the record player. I think the singer was Jim Nabors.
For you younger folks, a record was this big round piece of black vinyl that had these grooves in it that contained the music.
Anyway, the music was playing, and I had a sense of joy and wonder that I had never experience about anything prior to that.
It finally dawned on me that we were celebrating the One who died for me so I could go to heaven.
And the songs of Christmas took on a significance for me that I had never known before. Imagine that - God used Gomer Pyle to help me appreciate Him more.
God has been very kind to remind me of this often so I can rejoice in His salvation.
And it never gets tiring. Not when I reflect on how dirty I was when I came to Him for cleansing and forgiveness, and how He took me just as I was and made me a new creation in Christ.
It’s my opinion that once you really get a handle on the depths from which He saved you, you can’t go very long with a sour attitude.
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3. Find joy in living.
This is just kind of a basic outlook that says I am glad to be alive.
PS 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
One time at work, as an elderly customer was leaving, I said, "Have a good day!"
He looked back at me and said, "When you’re my age, they’re ALL good."
This guy was willing to find the good in life rather than focus on the negative.
Here are some tips on finding joy in life:
- Learn to laugh.
PR 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine.
I think Christians should be required to watch Laurel and Hardy movies once a week, on Monday mornings before work.
A good chuckle, or a belly laugh is good for you, physically as well as emotionally.
Read the humor pages in Reader’s Digest or something. But learn to laugh. I heard once that if you think something’s funny and don’t laugh, it comes out your hips.
- Learn to enjoy the little things.
I am NOT a nature-loving kind of guy. Ask my wife. Sunsets to me are no big deal, most of the time.
But every now and again God gets my attention with something like the leaves on the trees. Have you noticed how big some of those hummers get in the summer? You could serve dinner on them! And this town just bursts with color in the fall.
Neither of those are major things, but I have been given a new appreciation for these things.
- Learn to enjoy your family.
I have an awesome wife and 5 great kids. My wife and I have been married for 15 years, and I say to my shame that I am finally beginning to understand how truly awesome my wife is.
And one of the biggest discoveries I have made lately is that she is a very funny person at times. She can tell a good joke sometimes or turn a phrase, and if I’m paying attention, I can end up on the floor.
My oldest daughter is about to turn 13. I just felt a whole bunch of parents shudder when I said that.
I am grateful that she and I are tight. She is still not TOO embarrassed to be around her old man, and we share a lot of laughs together.
I’m grateful that at this point she still thinks that boys are gross, and you can bet that I’ll be doing all I can to perpetuate that belief for as long as possible.
I’ve toyed with the idea of buying some guns, just to clean when the boys start showing up. And buying some shooting trophies from a trophy store that say something like, "1st Place, Moving Target Division," or something like that.
Or painting the outline of a body on our front steps with a sign that says, "Danielle’s LAST boyfriend."
I think you get the idea. I mention these things to her and she just rolls her eyes and gives me a hug.
I enjoy hearing my youngest daughter learn to talk. She’s three, and starting to get a grip on this whole language thing.
But it’s fun to hear her try to use words she doesn’t fully understand.
My other daughter has one of those story books where some of the words are replaced with a picture.
And for some reason, I just get a kick out of hearing her say, "Baby Bear," when that picture comes up. I don’t know why; maybe it’s just that she sounds so pure and innocent. I couldn’t care less about Baby Bear, but it’s a semi-big deal to her.
I find joy in the stuff my kids do - most of the time.
My oldest son loves to take things apart, generally with the hope of being able to put them back together in working order. He hasn’t been tremendously successful, but he’ll get it.
One time he took apart some battery-operated something-or-other, and figured out how to make it a plug-in thing. Other than blowing some fuses in the house, it was really a neat deal.
Watching my younger son play baseball for the first time this year was a blast. At his first game, he was rounding the bases, and after he got to third base, he ran to his team¡¦s bench instead of home plate.
I’m on the sideline, screaming, "No Son! You need to go to home plate, buddy!" He just looked at me and smiled, and ran to home plate.
Some parents would be waiting to get home so they could "coach" their kid with a few choice words or punishments. But I just loved it. Here’s my boy, just having a good time. The world didn’t end because he ran off the base paths.
I’ve mentioned it before, but we parents have an awesome opportunity to witness to others by how you act at your children’s sporting or music events, or plays, or whatever.
I’ve just gotta flat-out tell you, folks, some people take sports way to seriously, especially when their kids are involved.
Get a life, will ya? Let the coaches do their job without you interfering. Not only does it help your child and the coaches, but when you can let it go, your own attitude gets a lot calmer, and you can actually ENJOY watching.
Hey, here’s another tip. Yell encouragement to the coaches during the game, and shake their hands afterward. This puts them on your side, and it teaches a valuable lesson to your child about respect.
The Bible talks about how our heavenly Father loves, takes care of, and encourages His children.
Yes, he disciplines when we need it. But I do not come away feeling like a loser. He affirms His love for me, and encourages me to do better next time.
And I don’t think God’s in the business of punishing us for missing fly balls or striking out.
Find out what makes your spouse and kids tick, and make an intentional effort to get involved with them.
Learn to enjoy your family. It will give you joy, and it will enhance the relationships in your home. And who wouldn’t like that?
- Learn to laugh at yourself.
I mentioned this a bit the first time I was here, but it’s just a good thing to talk about in this setting today.
Because you know what? People take themselves too seriously sometimes.
We need to laugh at ourselves. If you take yourself too seriously, you’ll never really appreciate those times when you’re at a restaurant and you laugh so hard that your Coke comes spurting out your nose.
It’s hard to see the humor in that when you take yourself too seriously.
Sometimes I’ll go to work at my other job, and my hair’s just not working right. And so I joke that I’m having a bad "what’s left of my hair" day. Or I’ll joke about the glare off the top of my head.
Why not? I’m going bald, so I might as well have fun with it, amen?
God has called me to be an evangelist. But I am readily aware of the fact that I am not as tall, nor nearly as good looking as Franklin Graham.
So I have to rely on the fact that if people come to Christ, it’s a testimony to the fact that God can use anybody to advance His kingdom. Even short, skinny balding guys with glasses and a high voice.
You know another reason you need to not think too seriously of yourself? Because no one else takes you that seriously, either.
Lighten up and enjoy your family. Lighten up about yourself.
Conclusion
1 Cor. 15:19 says this:
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
Folks, joy is rooted in God, and the hope that He gives us as children of God.
This verse implies that there is not only hope for the next life, but for this life as well.
The hope we have for heaven gives us hope for tomorrow, and for today. Live like a person with hope.
Walk around like you have something to live for now, and to look forward to in eternity, and it will draw others not only to YOU, but will give you the opportunity to draw them to Jesus.
See how that works?
But before I go, I want to ask you to think for a moment. Do you have joy in your life? Can you honestly say that joy is a characteristic of your life?
Or is your life characterized by a spirit of grumpiness?
If your life is not marked by joy, make it a point to get with God about that before you go to bed tonight. Okay? You¡¦ll be glad you did.
Because folks, grumpy is one of the seven dwarfs, not a fruit of the Spirit.
Let’s pray.
