Joy adds life to your years

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Live long, live well”

Our Bible verse for today: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Joy adds life to your years”

“Life is hard, and then you die.”, said the pessimist. “You have no idea how hard it is to be me!”, said the self-absorbed drama queen. “Everybody is against me.”, said the conspiracy theorist with the victim mentality.

Do you remember Eeyore the donkey from the Winnie the Pooh stories? Eeyore is a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, grey stuffed donkey known for his melancholy demeanor and for the fact that his tail frequently falls off. He goes through life with his head down, always expecting the worst. And sure enough, he always manages to attract the worst to himself. (There is a general real-life principle that maintains that we tend to attract that which we expect to happen.)

Many people go through life sounding and acting like Eeyore. It’s sad to watch, and it’s difficult to be around such people for long. I once knew a guy in the gym who was like that. He was one of the most negative people I have ever known. On the one hand, he was committed to maintaining good physical fitness, and he was trying to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible, but why? I mean, why would you want to live a long life if you’re that miserable?

There’s a better way to live. Smart people are intentionally joyful. They choose joy. There are many passages of Scripture which encourage and even command God’s people to be joyful. In Proverbs 17:22 we read that a joyful heart is good medicine. That’s more than just a clever illustration – it’s medically true, and studies have shown it to be true over-and-over again. Those people who have a joyful disposition tend to be healthier and to live longer than those who are perpetually negative and gloomy.

There are lots of ways in which we can be intentional about being joyful. One is to make it a habit to count your blessings frequently. Another is to structure your life in such a way as to minimize the negative you are exposed to and maximum positive influences (Philippians 4:8). I have a life principle (a general rule of thumb) that I try to abide by in this respect. It goes, “Reject that which drains you; embrace that which gives life.” I try to be intentional about filling my life with lots of affirming and nurturing influences.

Another way in which we can remain intentionally joyful is by surrounding ourselves with other joyful people – and there is no better place to find a bunch of joyful people than in church. One of the outstanding characteristics of a healthy church is that it will be a happy place filled with joyful people. If a joyful heart is good medicine; and if a healthy church is filled with joy; that means church attendance is good medicine.

I encourage you to get a shot of joy this Sunday. Attend a church that is filled with joyful people. It will be good medicine for you and you will leave there feeling better. Rather than just adding years to your life, a joyful heart adds life to your years. You will probably live longer, but you will certainly live better if you have a joyful heart.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are 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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