Consider these two stories:
Martin Luther once spent three days in a deep depression over something that had gone wrong. On the third day his wife came downstairs dressed in mourning clothes. "Who's dead?" he asked her. "God," she replied. Luther rebuked her, saying, "What do you mean, God is dead? God cannot die." "Well," she replied, "the way you've been acting I was sure He had!"
A little Sunday school boy, on his first trip to the country, made a significant comment after he had viewed with childish curiosity his grandfather's large white mule. "Mamma," he said, "grandpa's mule must be a very good Christian." The mother was surprised at the association of Christianity with an animal that generally causes the loss of it, so she asked little Jake the reason for his conclusion. His ready answer was: "Because grandpa's mule has such a long face."
King David once wrote:
Psalms 51 10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Ne 8: 10. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. His mind, wit and work earned him the unofficial title of "the greatest justice since John Marshall." At one point in his life, Justice Holmes explained his choice of a career by saying: "I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers."
That slaps ya right in the face doesn't it? What kind of witness were they giving?
The Joy of the Lord is your strength. God gave us joy. It's ok to have a good time and to laugh and have fun. That is not a sin, and in fact it's good for you.
Psalms 15 : 13. A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
Having a happy, joyful heart makes you feel better
Proverbs 17 : 22. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones
One translation says it this way…
"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." [Proverbs 17:22]
You see there are times in which you will be sick, you will be unhappy, you will be angry, you will be worried, you will be frustrated. But when you have the joy of the Lord, it will comfort you and help you through difficult times.
Its ok to have a good laugh once in a while. Its ok to smile! Its ok to tell a joke!
The very word joy or (care-e-o) in its original language means to be cheerful", happy, well off, glad, and joyfully rejoicing.
The psalmist said that weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
It says for ''A '' night… in other words problems and troubles are not permanent… and they is a light at the end of the tunnel
Are things looking dark and gloomy for you? Have a good laugh! Read a funny story, read the daily comics or just do something fun.
You will be suprised at what will happen to you.
