“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” - Proverbs 17:22,
Cheerfulness, throughout Scripture, is commended. Did not the angels proclaim “tidings of great joy” when Christ was born in Bethlehem? Christ spoke to his disciples, “that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Paul the Apostle, while in prison wrote to the Philippians, “rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I say rejoice.”
Cheerfulness also has a healing influence over the heart and soul. Cheerful Christians are strong Christians because “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” In joy, we can take in the healthiest and greatest view of truth, but discouragement and depression will lead to false perceptions or estimations of truth.
Cheerfulness can also be a healthy influence for others. If you recount your salvation experience, no doubt within your testimony was someone who cheerfully and lovingly lived out and shared the truth. I can't think of one person who was led to Christ by an “Eeyore” Christian. Your cheerfulness or lack thereof does affect the unsaved around you. Living with joy also provides the opportunity to edify and encourage fellow believers in the body of Christ.
Finally, cheerfulness is best attained in the Christian life. After repentance of sin and pardon from Christ, God gives deep, satisfying joy. This joy rests in the love and fellowship of God and our faith in Him and His Word. When we can say like the Psalmist, “I delight to do thy will, O God,” we have found the fountain of cheerfulness. This true joy can suffer, endure hardship, and face persecution; but still, rejoice like Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail.
May we understand that God loves us and delights in our cheerfulness. Our God is a loving, cheerful Father and he desires His children to walk in that same joy. That joy has great spiritual power in the lives of others and our own. But remember, this joy is found only in the grace-filled Christian life of daily faith in God and His Word.
- Pastor David