You/we BECOME what we BEHOLD. Rev Neville Johnson
I was listening to a radio program yesterday, as N.Ireland heads back into another 4 weeks increased lockdown(not total, although all bars, cafes and restaurants will close) due to the increase of COVID – 19. As I listened to a series of callers and the interviewer I came to the conclusion that today’s media wants to flood our souls with a constant diet of fault finding. We are in danger of becoming a nation of moaners and grumblers. The program was relishing and promoting (giving a wider platform than social media) to all who wanted to complain. There was no attempt to strike a balance with another viewpoint, negativity was the sole order of the day.
In contrast this morning I read in Proverbs 15 (there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, one for each day of the month) that the word ‘Cheerful’ is mentioned 3 times.
Prov 15:13 NIV A happy heart makes the face cheerful but heartache crushes the spirit./ A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face, a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day. MSG
Prov 15:15 NIV …the cheerful heart has a continual feast./ When a man is gloomy, everything seems to go wrong, when he is cheerful, everything seems right. TLB/ … a cheerful heart fills the day with a song! MSG
As a good friend has said, God is not leaning over the balcony in Heaven, wringing His hands and wondering what to do next. Neither was He impressed with the murmuring of His people Israel in the desert. Since the media and social media are flooded with negativity and complaining, the world’s viewpoint, believers should reduce and avoid their influence.
It’s interesting that sages of previous generations reached similar understanding;
The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. Mark Twain
And so of cheerfulness, or a good temper – the more it is spent the more it remains. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Be cheerful – the problems that worry most of us are those that never arrive. Benjamin Franklin
You find yourself refreshed in the presence of cheerful people. Why not make an honest effort to confer that pleasure on others. Lydia M Child
God Himself values those who give out of a cheerful heart, not just those who give;
2 Cor 9:7 …the Lord loves a cheerful giver(God ‘prizes’TLB).
1 Thess 5:16-18 Be joyful always (be cheerful, no matter what MSG), PRAY continually and GIVE THANKS in all circumstances(that should be our focus as believers); for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
May God bless and keep our hearts rejoicing in Him today.