It’s good for you and it’s good for others

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”

Our Bible verse for today: “A joyful heart is good medicine” Proverbs 17:22 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s good for you and it’s good for others”

Medical studies consistently demonstrate that being happy is good for you. Generally, the happier you are the healthier you will be. Over-and-over again, one study after another confirms that happiness lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease, it lowers your blood pressure, and it enables better sleep. On average, happy people also tend to take better care of themselves too by means of better diets, exercising more, and maintaining a better body weight.

Being joyful is even better. There’s a difference between just being happy and being joyful. Happiness is more of a fleeting and temporary feeling that is emotional in nature and is usually based upon external circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, comes from deep within the heart and is longer lasting. Joy is characterized by a sense of contentment and satisfaction with life and it flows out of a heart owned by a person who is at peace with God, themselves, and others. I guess we could say that joy is happiness on steroids, and remember, joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit who lives within you.

So, if happiness is good for you joy is even better. True joy really is good medicine. And better still, not only is your joy good medicine for you, it’s also good medicine for those who encounter you. Remember the story of my friend from yesterday’s devotional. He had a deep sense of joy that characterized his life. It welled-up from inside his heart and then flowed out of him; impacting everyone who encountered him. Not only did his joy make his own life much better, but it made the lives of others around him better too.

Pastor Chuck Swindoll once wrote, “One person in a strategic spot who is walking with God can do a world of good.” That’s true. If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ then you have His Holy Spirit living in your heart. One of the character traits He is working to develop in you, and then bring out of you, is joy. If the joy of the Lord is a dynamic reality in your own life, not only will it be good medicine for you, it will be good medicine for all those who encounter you.

So, there you have it: the joy of the Lord in your life is good for you and it’s good for those who encounter you. So, be joyful today, and then share some of that joy with others.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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