How to Be a Joyful Christian
Scripture: Psalm 1:1-3 GNT
Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God. [2] Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the LORD, and they study it day and night. [3] They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.
So, as I look at images for this article, I can feel joy!
They are bright and active.
I want to feel that joyful all the time…most of the time anyway. All the time may get a little exhausting… I don’t know.
Can we actually see joy in others, even if they aren’t dancing in confetti or jumping to the sky?
I believe that we can see evidence of those who have joy. It’s like a glow!
Joy can radiate from them.
We can be people of joy.
But there are some things to do -and know- so that we can have joy…Joy that lasts.
We need to:
- Watch who we spend our time with
- Read the Word of God
And when we do these things we will become strong and prosperous.
I really want to prosper in joy.
As I read the scripture for this article I found 3 ways to find joy in our lives.
#1 Watch who we spend our time with
Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God. (GNT)
I have to admit. There was a time that I was pretty vocal about the things that bothered me.
I was pretty negative.
It took me a while to realize it. But when I did I realize it, I wanted to change it.
I had always been a positive person. But as things happened in my life, my language about life changed and I started speaking negativity often.
Hurt people aren’t the most positive people. I don’t know if you know that.
I know that people were praying for me and I’m glad they were.
But some people stopped spending time with me and I can absolutely understand why.
That leads me to my first point.
We have to watch who we hang around
I’m not saying we just up and leave our friends.
But if they’re negative and they’ll listen to you, tell them.
In a loving, Christian way, of course.
But be careful because negativity is contagious.
Be careful who we get advice from
If it is mean negative advice, it’s not worth listening to.
We can’t find joy while being mean and hateful.
I want people speaking into my life the things that I will in turn speak into the lives of others.
Advice should be loving and kind like the God we serve.
Even if the advice is tough, it should be given with love.
#2 Read and meditate
[2] Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the LORD, and they study it day and night.
We should read the Bible
I think I’ve said this before.
Of course, I’ll never stop saying this. We should READ the Bible.
It was something that I avoided for so long. I’ve learned that reading the Bible for myself is so important.
It’s life-changing!
When I can hear from God for myself it makes so much of a difference in my life.
We find joy in following His instruction.
Joy is found in HIS teachings.
The Word of God is more important than anything or anyone in my life.
I love my family so much, but God’s word comes first. I hope they feel the same.
We can memorize scripture
I meditate on the word through memorizing scripture.
Learning verses, passages, and chapters are so encouraging for my soul.
I learned Psalm 91 with my growth group from church.
There are times when I find myself remembering the words to that chapter of Psalms and I feel the joy of remembering and the joy of knowing that God is in control.
I’m covered by HIS feathers.
Meditating on the word is so necessary if you want to have a joyful life.
When we do these things above we become stronger, our joy becomes abundant, like my next point states.
#3 You will become strong and prosper
[3] They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.
You will produce fruit for God
When we have joy, we produce good fruit for God.
We share more with others.
Personal joy brings a love for encouraging others.
Those that we encourage are encouraged to help others.
Hopefully, it’s an endless cycle.
We’re here to produce fruit for the Kingdom.
Let’s get our joy back so that we can help others get to God.
Your joy won’t dry up
I can’t forget about the promises.
My joy won’t dry up because I will be like a tree that receives it’s hydration from a nearby stream.
I can read the word so many times and depending on what I’m going through in life, the same passage can give me different answers.
The word won’t change, but the God I serve speaks His message through His word and He always speaks the promise, correction, and/or instruction I need.
So, just know that the Word of God is always relevant to us.
Conclusion
I don’t want to go back to being a negative person.
I want to be the person who people see and say, “She has the joy of God in her life.”
I will continue to watch who I’m spending my time with.
The Word of God will be what I read and meditate on.
Just because the word says it, I believe that I will grow strong and become prosperous because I am deliberate in the choices I make.
I hope this helped you in some way.
Please let me know how you maintain your joy or if you learned something new about having joy.
I look forward to hearing from you!
God loves family, and so do I!
Aisha
