Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– James H. Aughey
Builds Up
Cheerfulness is not just something a person feels or shows, but it is an inward feeling of a heart that’s satisfied in God, and that satisfaction spills out all over their face and is obvious to those around them. The Apostle Paul said, “encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1st Thess 5:11), and I can think of fewer things that build up those around us more than showing cheerfulness, so by all means, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:29).
Spreads the Cheer
Just as being polite and showing respect is contagious, so is cheerfulness, so why not spread your cheerfulness around so that others might catch it. When you see someone smile, doesn’t that automatically make you want to smile too? There is so much negativity and sadness in this world, and I have met a few Christians who are just about as joyless as those in the world. This should not be so. We have more reason than anyone on the planet to have joy because we have been redeemed, so why shouldn’t that spread joy on your face like peanut spread on piece of bread?
Helps Yourself
Solomon once wrote that “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Prov 17:22). In other words, you can be your own worst enemy if you live with a heart that’s continually crushed. It’s okay to be crushed at times because life can get us down, but it shouldn’t keep us down. Plus, we’re missing out on a source of strength that the joy of the Lord brings (Neh 8:10). If we have no joy, then we have little strength and our joyless life will be contagious too, but that’s not something we want to spread around, is it?
Conclusion
James H. Aughey said that “Cheerfulness is the friend and helper of all good graces,” and it helps by building others up, it helps by spreading your cheerfulness to others, and it helps yourself too because a person who has the joy of the Lord is not only stronger, they will probably live a longer, happier life.
