Fifteen Tactics for Joy

[ronscarpa]

Fifteen Tactics for Joy

Our WORD for Friday, 5/01/2015

 

 "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11) 

 

 

How shall we fight for joy?

1. Realize that authentic joy in God is a gift.
2. Realize that joy must be fought for relentlessly.
3. Resolve to attack all known sin in your life.
4. Learn the secret of gutsy guilt — how to fight like a justified sinner.
5. Realize that the battle is primarily a fight to see God for who he is.
6. Meditate on the Word of God day and night.
7. Pray earnestly and continually for open heart-eyes and an inclination for God.
8. Learn to preach to yourself rather than listen to yourself.
9. Spend time with God-saturated people who help you see God and fight the fight.
10. Be patient in the night of God’s seeming absence.
11. Get the rest, exercise, and proper diet that your body was designed by God to have.
12. Make a proper use of God’s revelation in nature.
13. Read great books about God and biographies of great saints.
14. Do the hard and loving thing for the sake of others (witness and mercy).
15. Get a global vision for the cause of Christ and pour yourself out for the unreached.

(John Piper)

[Francie26]

ronscarpa, no doubt you are a serious Christian, and I appreciate your list of things to do to be joyful.   But . . . it sounds like a lot of work to me. 

 

Can't I just be happy, laugh off anything that isn't just plain downright miserable (like arithmetic or the loss of a loved one), enjoy being around others, always listen to them and treat them respectfully,  share my happy heart with them, and pray whenever I feel like thanking God or talking to Him about my life, the lives of those I love, or whatever is happening out there in an often cold-seeming world?  

[ronscarpa]

Francie26 .. you can do whatever you like, whenever you like..!  However, there is a big difference between happiness & joy. Happiness can be very fleeting, but Joy is something that you can have even in crises and is a fruit of the Spirit. I just try to post something daily that is simply food for thought that might help some of us in realizing God's love for us and His guidelines for a richer life.  Have a great weekend, and may Almighty God richly bless you..! RON