Christians believe in JOY and CHEERFULNESS

Christians believe in JOY and CHEERFULNESS

No. 2 Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23

In the book

LIFESKILLS 101: Higher Core Values Winners Live by

Joy and cheerfulness in volunteering

Each section in this study series uses research, statistical conclusions, Biblical promises and graphic information to persuade you to be a Christian or influence you to have a stronger faith. On the average the higher levels of JOY in the Christian faith deliver better health, greater happiness and prevent many self-generated problems. Be encouraged with God’s promises in the following pages.

THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE

Optimum lifeskills described in the Bible do not appear to be in conflict with the optimum lifeskills promoted by the social sciences. Their perspectives are not identical. Yet, both have much in common when they promote optimum lifeskills.

BIBLICAL JOYOUSNESS-CHEERFULNESS-GLADNESS

JOY is often used in conjunction with the word “gladness” in the Bible. The words “joy and gladness” are linked together several times (Joel 1:16; Isaiah 51:3; Luke 1:14: etc.) The King James Bible has many references using the Hebrew word simchah for “joy.” Half the time the KJ translates that word simchah by “joy” and the other half the time the KJ translates simchah into “gladness.” We can’t be sure the translators understood whether they meant something different. Another Hebrew word for “joy” is the word tub, translated in the King James version by “cheerful” (Ecclesiastes 11:9 KJ), or by “gladness” (Deuteronomy 28:47), or by “joy” (Isaiah 65:14).

The original Greek word for “joy” in the Fruit(s) of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is chara, mostly translated as “joy,” but other Hebrew and Greek words are also translated by “joy.” Therefore, it is not emphatically known whether they understood “joy” to have deeper layers of stabilizing effect, or whether that effect was expressed by other words. Christians tend to see JOY in terms of its deeper stabilizing effect, like perhaps in the word “gladness.” Cheerfulness seems to be something slightly more superficial. Strong’s Concordance shows three words, “joy-fulness” (over 225 references), “gladness” (45 references), and “cheer-fulness” (19 references). It becomes apparent through multiple KJ translations of each word that there is a wide range of meanings. The wide range includes the “joy” of feasting on the one end of the spectrum and the “joy” one can experience even in the most trying times.

SOCIAL SCIENCES ON JOY-CHEERFULNESS-GLADNESS

The 39 published personality tests and their 342 traits/behaviors that are considered more optimum yielded the following constellation; cheerful, lighthearted, happy-go-lucky, spontaneous, playful, humorous. These words underlay the concept of CHEERFULNESS. They are understood to be the opposite of other traits/behaviors in the tests: depressed, gloomy, inhibited, and placid.

PUTTING THEM TOGETHER FOR RESEARCH

There seems to be a spectrum from the more festive kind of “joy” to the deeper kind of “gladness.” The Biblical usage of JOY-CHEER-GLADNESS appears to be more comprehensive than the perspective of the social sciences. While it may be true that the social sciences have been more focused on the festive “joy” on one end of the spectrum, Biblical references include and incorporate that in their understanding of JOY.

OVERVIEW

* It is normal to wan to be happy and joyful.

* Yet, a hurricane can bring tragedy and misery.

* A car accident can take joy away in a second.

* A financial investment can turn sour.

* Your dreams may never materialize

JOYFULNESS CAN TURN TO DEPRESSION

* We face crucial decisions.

* If we fail to react correctly to catastrophe, we may never rise up.

* Misfortune can follow misfortune on a downward decline.

GOD GIVES US THE ABILITY TO REJOICE IN TIMES OF DIFFICULTY.

* Getting up is always more difficult than falling.

* God is in the business of helping us get up.

* Joyfulness is the benefit we can count on.

NOTICE IN THE CHART

THAT AS JOYFULNESS INCREASES,

THE RISK OF DEPRESSION DECREASES.

FIND YOUR JOY / CHEERFULNESS SCORE ON THE SOLID LINE WHICH GOES FROM THE BOTTOM LEFT TO THE TOP RIGHT.

LOOK DIRECTLY ABOVE OR BELOW THE SOLID LINE TO THE AREA WITH THE SLANTED LINES / / / / / /. For example, if you had a score of 30 in the JOY / Cheerfulness test, then the predicted level of depression is 42. That is high in comparison to those at the far right of the / / / / area who have lower predicted levels of depression symptoms.

Those at the lowest one-third of JOY / Cheerfulness (left one third) average almost double the level of depression symptoms.

The statistics of this research indicate that about half to three-fourths of persons who say they attend church “regularly”, have lower “Fruit(s) of the Spirit” scores than persons who claimed they “never” attend church.

THE FOLLOWING PROPOSITION

When “faith” in Jesus Christ is translated into behavior, the Christian population should be at least higher in these universal held values than that population which “never” attends worship.

PREDICTABILITY OF THE FRUIT(S) OF THE SPIRIT

REMEMBER YOUR JOY/Cheerfulness PERCENTILE SCORE, AND FIND THE PLACE ON THE SLOPING SOLID LINE GOING FROM LOWER LEFT TO UPPER RIGHT. — Look directly above your JOY score, to the jagged line above. For example, a JOY score of 41 has a predicted level of “Suppression” 114.

Persons in the top one-third of JOY/Cheerfulness (right, solid line) average 29% less suppression of negative feelings, than the one-third at the bottom level of JOY/Cheerfulness.

The from scientific research on JOY/Cheerfulness is the same as the Bible.

“Let not the sun go down on your anger, lest you give

opportunity to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26

Some solutions for this are found in Matthew 18:15-17

1. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his offense between you and he alone.”

2. “If he hears you, you have gained your brother, but if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

3. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church,”

4. “And if he refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile (hell bound according to the Jews of Jesus day).”

CHRISTIANITY PROMISES BENEFITS.

WHAT YOU SEE IS A DROP OF 68.9% IN 58 COMBINED STRESS FACTORS, AS AVERAGE JOYOUS SCORES WERE THE HIGHEST FOR THE TOP 30 PERSONS IN THE DATA BASE. Joy contributes to stress neutralization, and you will need to combine joy with other factors to gain that stress reduction. (The “stress” bar represents only 10% of actual raw scores. This makes the chart a clearer picture without distorting its real message.)

This graph comes from a research project by the author. The research investigated the relationship between higher levels of Fruit(s) of the Spirit and many stress factors. Over 1800 persons contributed information. The information came through 9 professors and counselors in 6 states and 3 international countries. The computer data base generates this information. The research supports approximately 75 scriptural promises such as this one:

“All who are committed to the Lord are benefitted beyond expression. His children shall be honored everywhere. He himself shall be wealthy and good deeds will never be forgotten” (Psalm 112:1-2 LB). The research on the Fruit(s) of the Spirit substantiates the expression of the Psalmist. There are scores of Biblical promises like this one which are supported by the research. Hopefully, anyone who is still somewhat un-committed to Christ will be strengthened by seeing this research. “May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace as you trust him” (Romans 15:13 NIV).

“This is perfect joy — to share in the sufferings of the world as Christ did.” St. Francis of Assisi

CHRISTIANITY OFFERS PRACTICAL LIFESKILLS.

WHAT YOU SEE IS A 71% DROP IN DEPRESSION AS LEVELS OF JOY AND CHEER INCREASE. MOST PERSONS WILL LIKELY GAIN AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 50% REDUCTION IN STRESS WITH ABOVE AVERAGE JOY / CHEER SCORES (in combination with other factors).

There is a strong connection between increasing levels of JOY and decreasing levels of depression. Not everyone with low JOY will be afflicted with a clinical diagnosis of depression. On the average higher spirituality with higher levels of JOY act like preventive medicine. Dr. Hillel Cohen of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine “found that depressed people with no knowledge of their heart disease were 2.3 times more likely than the average person to have a heart attack” (Holland, Michigan Sentinel Wire Services, November 11, 1997). Spirituality raises Joy (Galatians 5:22). Higher-level joy is connected with decreases in depression. Reduced depression “alleviates heart attacks.” Ah Ha! Increased spirituality reduces heart attack risk.

“A happy (merry, joyous) heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit” (Proverbs 15:13 NIV , John 15:11). You see, Christianity is very practical. Faith reduces the “crushed” or depressive mental state. Teenagers often feel that Christianity is just a system to limit one’s fun. Actually, the reverse is true. Higher spirituality in Christianity generates (or is associated with) higher levels of JOY.

There are numerous causes for depression. Excessive fears, or excessive anger, or excessive guilt can combine with genetic factors, and/or with biochemical changes to generate varying degrees of depression.

“Somehow not only for Christmas, but all the long year through,

the JOY you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.”

CHRISTIANITY IS GREAT FOR STRESS REDUCTION.

ON THE AVERAGE, A PERSON CAN SAVE HIM/HERSELF 15.6% ON MARITAL STRESS BY KEEPING SPIRITUALITY AND JOY HIGHER THAN AVERAGE, ALONG WITH KEEPING OTHER Fruit(s) OF THE SPIRIT HIGH.

“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11 KJ).

God is very practical. He knows we tend to think of our own convenience, our own pleasure. To curb that God sent Jesus to enable persons to think more of others, to empower us to mature. Christian lifeskills strengthen and lengthen marriages. God promises us a payoff for this effort.

“Work hard and cheerfully (JOY) at all you do . . . remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to pay you, giving you your full portion of all he owns” (Colossians 3:24 LB).

“Remembering!” Remembering every good thing Jesus wants us to do! That’s where people have a problem. We forget too easily. Married persons who attend worship, attend Christian LifeSkills study fellowships and Adult Christian Education classes remember better. On the average, persons with higher JOY suffer fewer divorces.

DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS?

How often do you and others read this verse and think that the “pay off” will be the gift of “eternal life” or “ heaven” after we die?

GOD’S OPTIMUM LIFESKILLS INCLUDE JOY.

BOTH ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND SMOKING LEVELS DECREASE AS LEVELS OF JOY / CHEERFULNESS INCREASE. The darker bar that goes from bottom-left up to the right represents 300 data records sorted from lowest JOY / Cheer (bottom left) to highest JOY / Cheer (upper right). Persons with highest level of JOY/ Cheer indulge (on the average) in one-seventh of the amount of alcohol consumption and smoking. (The questions for alcohol consumption were taken directly from diagnostic questions asked by Alcoholics Anonymous.)

“Now the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope” (Rom 15:13 RSV). The Apostle Paul knows that JOY is a positive inner substance. JOY is constructive, while substance abuse is destructive. The research statistics show that the intake of divine substance has a more beneficial result.

The information in the data base can also be sorted by levels of alcohol consumption and levels of smokers’ problematic symptoms. When that was done, persons in the highest levels of alcohol consumption and smoking generally averaged about 20% to 25% lower in all the Fruit(s) of the Spirit. It appears that average high-level alcohol consumption and high-level smoking is generally associated with lower spirituality.

“An example of pseudo-joy based primarily on artificial manipulation of the body is the effect produced by drugs. Amphetamines and cocaine are stimulants that lower the threshold of the limbic pleasure center and increase heart rate, respiration, vasodilation and metabolism. Taking these drugs leads to feelings of excitation and bursts of energy. Drug abusers in search of more ‘joy’ may continually readminister the stimulants until the body is depleted beyond recovery.” (excerpts from Georgia Witkin-Lanoil, Ph.D., Health, Dec. 1984)

GODLY JOY REPLACES BOTTLED HURT.

THIS CHART DRAWS ATTENTION TO SOME REDUCED JOY / CHEERFULNESS IN OUR LIVES WHEN WE SUPPRESS TOO MANY NEGATIVE FEELINGS, RATHER THAN SETTLE THEM THROUGH SPEAKING UP. The chart shows a body of increasing JOY / Cheerfulness (lined area). The descending tallness of pillars represent the average amount of “ suppression of negative feelings” for all deciles (10% segments of 300 data records).

Christians have an image in the world. Christians are supposed to be more loving than average. That sometimes translates into keeping quiet when perhaps we need to learn how to speak up in a helpful and not hurtful way. Look at the Fruit(s) of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If a person connects JOY / Cheerfulness with the other Fruit(s) of the Spirit then the person becomes more proactive, and less withdrawing or explosive. Christians generally do practice more love and care. Some don’t. Some non-Christians take advantage of that and push off their responsibility for being more thoughtful and caring. Non-spiritual persons reap fewer benefits for their lower levels of JOY / Cheerfulness.

Higher spiritual JOY and suppression of negative feelings are mostly incompatible.

“God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted (troubled) beyond what you are able to bear, but with every temptation (trouble) He will provide you a ways of escape” (I Corinthians 10:13 KJ). That is one way a person gains more JOY.

“Often father and mother are so busy they have no time for their children . . . so the children go to the streets and get involved in drugs or other things.” Mother Teresa

GOD’S LIFESKILLS HAVE BUILT-IN REWARDS.

CANCER INCIDENCE WAS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER AMONG PERSONS WITH LOWER JOY / CHEERFULNESS SCORES. In the computer data base of 300 persons, 32 cases of cancer (10 kinds) were reported. This may be too small a number for making any conclusion. Yet, the chart fits the pattern of other charts. Persons with Fruit(s) of the Spirit above the 66th percentile gain most of the benefits from their higher level spirituality. Both in number and in percent, the graph above gives us a picture and facts that being more highly committed to God’s kind of spirituality has a benefit in a person’s health. God says that too.

This is what God is trying to tell us in the Bible. “A cheerful (joyous) heart does good like medicine but a broken spirit makes one sick” ( Proverbs 17:22 KJ). God’s truth and scientific research information above co-mingle to reinforce our faith.

DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS?

Occasionally, we know of a person who suffered grief, financial problems, or tragedy. Then within a period of time that person becomes ill and dies. Many people sense there is a connection between personal problems that undermine JOY, and ensuing illness. We see the connection between health and JOY mentioned above in Proverbs 17:22. What can (or should) a Christian do to counteract circumstantial set-backs and natural disasters? What do non-Christians do?

PRAISING GOD IMPROVES YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.

THE CHART SHOWS US A CONNECTION BETWEEN HIGHER-LEVEL JOY /CHEERFULNESS AND DECREASING INCIDENTS OF ILLNESS.

Higher-level JOY / Cheerfulness is only one of a great number of factors in illness. Conversion to be a follower of Jesus Christ delivers a combination of 9 Fruit(s) of the Spirit (Christ’s and God’s Holy Spirit). ---- In the chart above, persons above the 70th percentile (solid line, right) show a lower number of “illness incidents” (jagged line, 43.6 at bottom right). Those illness come from 77 self-reported medical diagnoses. That points to the value of being committed to Christ in such a way that it raises your Fruit(s) of the Spirit, which, in turn lowers your illness risks. That connection is being established by research. Here is an excerpt from the Charlotte Observer by Karen Garloch (Nov 1, 1997, Holland, Michigan Sentinel).

“In a study of more than 1700 North Carolina adults over age 65, Duke University researchers found that those who attend religious services at least once a week have healthier immune systems than those who don’t. It’s the first study ever published in the medical literature that has found an association between religious activity and immune functioning, says Dr. Harold Koenig, director of Duke’s Center for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health. . . the new study measured blood samples of levels of interleukin 6 and other substances that regulate immune and inflammatory responses. Biological measures are more accurate than interviews, Koenig said. . . . In the study, those who attended religious services once a week were about half as likely as non-attenders to have elevated levels of interluken 6. Says Dr. Koenig, ‘We are not trying to prove that there’s a higher power, but maybe believing in that higher power . . . could be a strong key to people’s health. We can actually show that immune systems [ macrophages, B-lymphocytes, T-cells] are functioning better,’ says Koenig.”

Share with others what this research information is affecting in your thinking and hopefully, in your behavior.

HOW BIG IS YOUR FAITH BENEFITS PACKAGE?

YOU CAN BE HEALTHIER BECAUSE OF YOUR JOY, OR ARE YOU SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR INCREASED ILLNESS AND PROBLEMS BY NOT FINDING ENOUGH JOY? Here are God’s promises. God wants us to rejoice in the midst of difficulty.

“We will REJOICE in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners” (Psalm 20:5 KJ). We need to remind ourselves that our higher values “save” us from a lot of misery. That is the highest form of salvation.

“The precepts of the Lord are right, giving JOY to the heart” Psalm 19:8 NIV.

“Genuine, yet regarded as imposters, known, yet regarded as unknown, dying, yet we live on, beaten and not yet killed, sorrowful, yet always REJOICING” (II Corinthians 6:8-10 NIV). Faith in God, known by looking at Jesus, provides the REJOICING benefit that enables us to cope with tragedy and transcend more unhappy events.

DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS?

God doesn’t promise that we’ll never suffer. He assures us we can be JOYFUL in times of suffering. Christians suffer accidents. Christians suffer from contagious diseases. Christians have been killed by jealous people for 2000 years. Talk about how a martyr can be burned in Rome’s Coliseum, and die “rejoicing.”

“Suffering can be turned to good to produce true JOY in the LET’S FIX JOY AT THE CORE.

THIS FIGURE SHOWS THE PSYCHE — THE SOUL — AS THE CORE DECISION MAKING COMPONENT OF A PERSON. Like a computer, the soul integrates the messages from the various sources and initiates the action.

Mother Teresa became a world celebrity for her work with the poor people of Calcutta. She accepted a Nobel Peace prize for her work in 1993 and a gift of $60,000 for her work. She has become famous for her JOY in working with the poorest people in the world. Let’s learn from her, how she connected her faith in Jesus Christ with her JOY.

Mother Teresa found JOY without possessions. Mother Teresa found JOY before success, not after success. Mother Teresa found JOY in a “call” from God — an inner passion for helping the poorest of the poor in India. Mother Teresa found JOY from a singular commitment to God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Mother Teresa perpetuated her own JOY by renouncing gloominess and radiating JOY.

We will deal with 4 issues that are inter-related.

1. Faith focuses on deeper sources of JOY.

2. Faith increases JOY by transcending hurt and anger.

3. Relating to God has soul cleansing properties that increase joy.

4. Upgrading JOY with Biblical knowledge

1. FAITH FOCUSES ON DEEPER

SOURCES OF JOY.

ALL PERSONS HAVE BODY, MIND, SPIRIT AND PSYCHE. THE GREATEST JOY COMES TO PERSONS WHO LEAN HEAVILY TOWARD EVERYTHING DIVINE WITHIN THE SOUL. --- Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta January 6, 1929. The British left India in 1947. The country was partitioned into India (mostly Hindu) and East and West Pakistan (mostly Muslim). The upheaval triggered mass migration to Calcutta. Poverty developed in the city and Mother Teresa finally replaced her clothes with a sari that was worn by the poorest of the poor in Calcutta. It was her “call.”

Remember Jonah and the Whale. He had a lot of anxiety before he finally did what God wanted to him to do. First Jonah fled and boarded a ship in the Mediterranean sea. A storm came up and Jonah felt guilty. He blamed himself. He thought his disobedience caused God to stir up the sea. Jonah told the boat crew to throw him overboard. They did. A whale swallowed him up, and spit him out on land. Jonah was finally converted to do God’s will. Jonah went to preach at Nineveh. The city was converted. — When we do God’s will, with surrendered commitment to Christ’s optimum lifeskills, we regain some calmness in our souls.

If you are mostly out of touch with your soul, you will be mostly out of touch with any divine inspiration making itself known in your soul. If a person decides to ignore the call of God, the voice of conscience, that person will miss the deepest and most complete JOY that exists.

The heart is the practical functioning part of the inner soul. God has revealed the importance of the function of the heart. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23 KJ). “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance” (Proverbs 3:5 KJ). This is an optimum lifestyle. It was designed by God. You can have free access to that cheerful heart. “God . . . has shined in our hearts” (II Corinthians 4:6). That is what the Apostle Paul told the new converts in Corinth, Greece 2000 years ago.

LISTEN TO YOUR SOUL. LISTEN TO YOUR DEEPEST INNER BEING. IS YOUR INNER SOUL AS CALM AS YOU WOULD LIKE IT TO BE?

An increase in your JOY level may be blocked by some habitual return to concerns that you should put into the hands of God. Sometimes a person is a believer but has not yet surrendered certain anxieties to God, to let him take care of the problem you may be overly concerned about.

Statistical research shows that anxiety symptom levels drop an average 35.7% in that group of persons who reach the 64th to 99th percentile in JOY or Cheerfulness. Mental health professions treat many kinds of phobic (fear) problems, obsessive-compulsive problems and neurotic problems where anxiety and fear levels became excessive. Some anxiety may not be altered by faith. Anxiety attacks may have a number of unresolved past painful experiences, may be related to bio-chemical triggers, or prompted by some genetic determining factors, or combinations of them.

CHRISTIANITY HAS EQUIPMENT TO REPAIR ANXIETY. “Perfect love casts out fear” (I John 4:18). The essence of Christianity is bound up with the soul’s direction, turned outward or turned inward. Look at the diagram. If the soul (psyche) is converted to love God and others, and the narcissistic reflex is broken, then anxiety has an enemy: LOVE. We can assure people that trust in God reduces anxiety, because of the love-connection. Besides, the research statistics verify that this promise of God is true (on the average).

DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS?

What is (are) some of your soul’s deepest passion(s)? Are your passions centered mostly around your appetites, sports, money making, etc, and things that tickle your brain, body and senses? Are you missing deeper JOY?

2. CONFESSION INCREASES JOY BY

NEUTRALIZING HURT AND ANGER.

SOMETIMES THERE ARE INNER STRUGGLES THAT REDUCE INNER JOY. PEOPLE NEED TO DEAL WITH THEIR NEGATIVE FEELINGS. PEOPLE KEEP TOO MANY PAINFUL SECRETS INSIDE.

If you are a newcomer to Christianity, you might not understand what “confession” is all about. It’s about cleaning out negative feelings that we have collected and stored in our minds and emotions (both consciously and unconsciously).

Confessions cleans out negativity. People bottle hostile feelings toward others. People have a lid between the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche (See the figure.) People often let in little hurts through the small openings in the “grid” between conscious and the unconscious. They store them, mostly unconsciously. Little hurts, big hurts and long-time grudges often stay inside the unconscious. Sometimes the negativity inside is from imaginary shame or guilt. We use the word “suppression” to talk about bottling hurt/hostile feelings. Bottling hostile feelings is as harmful to the self as exploding them out all the time is harmful to others. Confession ventilates the hurt-filled storehouse.

Confession is like owning up to what is inside. Confession is exposing the smoldering material to the cleansing power of the sun and its ultra violet rays.

“An evil person is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous person sings and REJOICES” (Proverbs 29:6 RSV).

SUPPRESSED ANGERS EXPLODE OR IMPLODE.

SHAME AND GUILT TEND TO IMPLODE MORE..

It is nearly always true that a person who bottles negative feelings too long will either blow up and become violent, or implode. Implosion is the word to describe the process of withdrawal, irrational behavior, wacky behavior, or mental illness (in varying degrees). The Bible proclaims much the same message. “Being angry, do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, lest you give opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:16 KJ). Bottled hostile feelings is a problem for both the Christian and everyone else. Shame (imaginary or real), when bottled up, tends to generate emotionally deteriorating processes on the inside.

The level of explosive anger in high JOY persons (64th to 99th percentile) is statistically half of the lower-level two-thirds of the population. Spiritually minded persons have a reduction in their anger and an equivalent increase in their JOY. Some Christians miss the JOY they are entitled to, by bottling hostile feelings. You can arrive at higher JOY by confessing your hurt and anger to the person who offended you as advised by Jesus in Matthew 18:25-17. When the person you confront acknowledges, is sorry and repents, then you will be able to forgive easily. If the offender is dead, gone, unknown or unrepentant, then forgiveness is more difficult. You might need to forgive 70 times 7 in private. It will take a lot of “prayer for your enemy.”

DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS?

Tell about someone who has impressed you with their higher-level Fruit(s) of the Spirit JOY.

3. RELATING TO GOD HAS SOUL CLEANSING

PROPERTIES THAT INCREASE JOY.

EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL PROBLEMS ARE FEWER WHEN GUILT IS RESOLVED BY CONFESSION, FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION.

Christianity reduces guilt. God forgives. God sent Jesus to die for guilt relief. Jesus’ crucifixion provides forgiveness. Christian behaviors help clean up guilt. Christian worship helps the process. If you have big hurts and big angers, then you need the biggest forgiving equipment that is available — Jesus, God and Christianity. Confession, owning up, is the other basic skill that a person may need to get to the higher level of JOY.

My grandmother was the happiest older person I ever knew. I lived with her and my grandfather while I went to a nearby Christian academy for my 3rd year of high school. My grandparents were immigrants and settlers in Iowa. My grandparents had 11 children. They lost one at a very young age to cancer. They lost another in a hunting accident while he was in college. They lost a farm during the depression. They were quite poor but lived adequately most of their lives. — I heard my grandmother hum the tunes of Christian songs again and again. God was the source of her JOY. Humming the tunes was the expression of that JOY. — If my grandmother would have filled out my 896 question inventory, I believe she would have had a very high level of Fruit(s) of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. She left a spiritual inheritance to her children and grandchildren. She had JOY.

MOTHER TERESA — This is what Mother Teresa told her Sisters of Charity. “Keep giving Jesus to your people not by words, but by your example, by your being in love with Jesus, by radiating his holiness and spreading his fragrance of love everywhere you go. Just keep the joy of Jesus as your strength. Be happy and at peace. Accept whatever he gives — and give whatever he takes with a big smile. You belong to him.” (Suffering Into Joy, p. 22, Egan, 1994)

FAITH SAYS THAT YOU CAN LIVE

OPTIMUM LIFESKILLS OF JOY.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE JOY BECAUSE OF BLESSINGS

“I am radiant with JOY because of your mercy, for you have listened to my troubles and have seen the crisis in my soul. You have not handed me over to my enemies, but have given me open ground in which to maneuver” (Psalm 31:7LB).

“God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us JOY and light” (Psalm 19:7, 8 LB).

SOME PEOPLE CAN EVEN REJOICE WHEN THERE IS TRAGEDY

Jesus, after his disciples returned to him: “Then he was filled with the JOY of the Holy Spirit, and said, I praise you, O Father” (Luke 10:21 LB).

“Our hearts ache, but at the same time we have the JOY of the Lord”

(II Corinthians 6:10 LB).

DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS?

Describe your journey to higher JOY, or confess what is blocking JOY in your life.

“If you are not as close to God as you used to be . . . who moved?”

4. UPGRADING JOY WITH BIBLICAL KNOWLEDGE

BE REMINDED! — THERE ARE FABULOUS STATISTICAL BENEFITS FOR HIGHER LEVEL JOY. It’s worth the effort. Jesus memorized and quoted scripture to resist temptations that might kill his deeper JOY. Mother Teresa opened her soul to the influence of the Word of God.

Remember that Jesus quoted scripture to ward off the influence of Satan’s temptations. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13, saying to Satan, “Get thee behind me Satan, for it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (KJ). Then he warned Satan using Deuteronomy 6:16, “It is said, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Jesus used the Word as a shield and a sword against evil. Any one who can do that will be able to rise to higher levels of spirituality and higher levels of benefits from the Fruit of the Spirit, JOY.

Mother Teresa believed JOY arose out of pain and anguish. Without pain and anguish people will not know the experience of JOY. She, therefore, could be thankful for pain and anguish. It made JOY possible. — Mother Teresa often quoted this verse. “When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you” (John 16:21-22). Mother Teresa always aligned herself with God’s optimum lifeskills. She received benefits. She gave and received JOY.

“Even though the figs are all destroyed . . . and though the olive crops fail . . . even if the flocks die in the fields . . . and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be happy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18) (See also Psalm 13:5).

MOTHER TERESA

“I had the most extraordinary experience with a Hindu family who had eight children. A gentleman came to our house and said, ‘Mother Teresa, there is a family with eight children; they have not eaten for so long; do something.’ So I took some rice and I went there immediately. And I saw the children, their eyes shining with hunger. I don’t know if you have ever seen hunger. But I have seen it very often. And the mother took the rice, divided it, and she went out. When she came back, I asked her, ‘Where did you go/ What did you do?’ She answered simply, ‘They, the neighbors, are hungry also.’ What struck me most was that she knew — and who are they? A Muslim family. I didn’t bring more rice that evening because I wanted them to enjoy the joy of sharing.” (Suffering Into Joy, p. 82., Egan, 1994)

A PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO BE JOYFUL

EXAMPLES

1. I will raise my level of JOY by rejoicing in God my Savior who saves me from some of the misery of this world. This is my current concern during which time I will rejoice. ______________________________________

2. If the Virgin Mary could REJOICE during an embarrassing pregnancy, I can rejoice during _________________________.

3. I sometimes get somewhat depressed about _____________, and I now know that I can rethink that by REJOICING rather than complaining.

4. If the Apostle Paul could be JOYFUL in his difficult imprisonment, then I will REJOICE in _____________________.

5. Since unresolved anxiety, fear, anger and guilt can trigger depressive moods, I need to learn to forge ahead with solving my _____________________.

6. Here is my private and personal concern that drags me down. This is what I will do about it. ________________________

LIFESKILLS TRAINING CENTER \| Home \| Ch.1. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF \| Christians believe in JOY and CHEERFULNESS \| Christians keep trying to be peaceful - Ch 3 in Lifeskills \| Christians keep trying to be PATIENCE and TOLERANT \| Random acts of kindness \| Christians believe in the generosity virtue \| Christians seek to be trusted persons \| Gentleness is a universal value \| Self control is a universal virtue
Click on arrows to read and print out chapters.	Christians believe in JOY and CHEERFULNESS No. 2 Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 In the book LIFESKILLS 101: Higher Core Values Winners Live by Joy and cheerfulness in volunteering Each section in this study series uses research, statistical conclusions, Biblical promises and graphic information to persuade you to be a Christian or influence you to have a stronger faith. On the average the higher levels of JOY in the Christian faith deliver better health, greater happiness and prevent many self-generated problems. Be encouraged with God’s promises in the following pages. THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE Optimum lifeskills described in the Bible do not appear to be in conflict with the optimum lifeskills promoted by the social sciences. Their perspectives are not identical. Yet, both have much in common when they promote optimum lifeskills. BIBLICAL JOYOUSNESS-CHEERFULNESS-GLADNESS JOY is often used in conjunction with the word “gladness” in the Bible. The words “joy and gladness” are linked together several times (Joel 1:16; Isaiah 51:3; Luke 1:14: etc.) The King James Bible has many references using the Hebrew word simchah for “joy.” Half the time the KJ translates that word simchah by “joy” and the other half the time the KJ translates simchah into “gladness.” We can’t be sure the translators understood whether they meant something different. Another Hebrew word for “joy” is the word tub, translated in the King James version by “cheerful” (Ecclesiastes 11:9 KJ), or by “gladness” (Deuteronomy 28:47), or by “joy” (Isaiah 65:14). The original Greek word for “joy” in the Fruit(s) of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is chara, mostly translated as “joy,” but other Hebrew and Greek words are also translated by “joy.” Therefore, it is not emphatically known whether they understood “joy” to have deeper layers of stabilizing effect, or whether that effect was expressed by other words. Christians tend to see JOY in terms of its deeper stabilizing effect, like perhaps in the word “gladness.” Cheerfulness seems to be something slightly more superficial. Strong’s Concordance shows three words, “joy-fulness” (over 225 references), “gladness” (45 references), and “cheer-fulness” (19 references). It becomes apparent through multiple KJ translations of each word that there is a wide range of meanings. The wide range includes the “joy” of feasting on the one end of the spectrum and the “joy” one can experience even in the most trying times. SOCIAL SCIENCES ON JOY-CHEERFULNESS-GLADNESS The 39 published personality tests and their 342 traits/behaviors that are considered more optimum yielded the following constellation; cheerful, lighthearted, happy-go-lucky, spontaneous, playful, humorous. These words underlay the concept of CHEERFULNESS. They are understood to be the opposite of other traits/behaviors in the tests: depressed, gloomy, inhibited, and placid. PUTTING THEM TOGETHER FOR RESEARCH There seems to be a spectrum from the more festive kind of “joy” to the deeper kind of “gladness.” The Biblical usage of JOY-CHEER-GLADNESS appears to be more comprehensive than the perspective of the social sciences. While it may be true that the social sciences have been more focused on the festive “joy” on one end of the spectrum, Biblical references include and incorporate that in their understanding of JOY. OVERVIEW * It is normal to wan to be happy and joyful. * Yet, a hurricane can bring tragedy and misery. * A car accident can take joy away in a second. * A financial investment can turn sour. * Your dreams may never materialize JOYFULNESS CAN TURN TO DEPRESSION * We face crucial decisions. * If we fail to react correctly to catastrophe, we may never rise up. * Misfortune can follow misfortune on a downward decline. GOD GIVES US THE ABILITY TO REJOICE IN TIMES OF DIFFICULTY. * Getting up is always more difficult than falling. * God is in the business of helping us get up. * Joyfulness is the benefit we can count on. NOTICE IN THE CHART THAT AS JOYFULNESS INCREASES, THE RISK OF DEPRESSION DECREASES. FIND YOUR JOY / CHEERFULNESS SCORE ON THE SOLID LINE WHICH GOES FROM THE BOTTOM LEFT TO THE TOP RIGHT. LOOK DIRECTLY ABOVE OR BELOW THE SOLID LINE TO THE AREA WITH THE SLANTED LINES / / / / / /. For example, if you had a score of 30 in the JOY / Cheerfulness test, then the predicted level of depression is 42. That is high in comparison to those at the far right of the / / / / area who have lower predicted levels of depression symptoms. Those at the lowest one-third of JOY / Cheerfulness (left one third) average almost double the level of depression symptoms. The statistics of this research indicate that about half to three-fourths of persons who say they attend church “regularly”, have lower “Fruit(s) of the Spirit” scores than persons who claimed they “never” attend church. THE FOLLOWING PROPOSITION When “faith” in Jesus Christ is translated into behavior, the Christian population should be at least higher in these universal held values than that population which “never” attends worship. PREDICTABILITY OF THE FRUIT(S) OF THE SPIRIT REMEMBER YOUR JOY/Cheerfulness PERCENTILE SCORE, AND FIND THE PLACE ON THE SLOPING SOLID LINE GOING FROM LOWER LEFT TO UPPER RIGHT. — Look directly above your JOY score, to the jagged line above. For example, a JOY score of 41 has a predicted level of “Suppression” 114. Persons in the top one-third of JOY/Cheerfulness (right, solid line) average 29% less suppression of negative feelings, than the one-third at the bottom level of JOY/Cheerfulness. The from scientific research on JOY/Cheerfulness is the same as the Bible. “Let not the sun go down on your anger, lest you give opportunity to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26 Some solutions for this are found in Matthew 18:15-17 1. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his offense between you and he alone.” 2. “If he hears you, you have gained your brother, but if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 3. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church,” 4. “And if he refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile (hell bound according to the Jews of Jesus day).” CHRISTIANITY PROMISES BENEFITS. WHAT YOU SEE IS A DROP OF 68.9% IN 58 COMBINED STRESS FACTORS, AS AVERAGE JOYOUS SCORES WERE THE HIGHEST FOR THE TOP 30 PERSONS IN THE DATA BASE. Joy contributes to stress neutralization, and you will need to combine joy with other factors to gain that stress reduction. (The “stress” bar represents only 10% of actual raw scores. This makes the chart a clearer picture without distorting its real message.) This graph comes from a research project by the author. The research investigated the relationship between higher levels of Fruit(s) of the Spirit and many stress factors. Over 1800 persons contributed information. The information came through 9 professors and counselors in 6 states and 3 international countries. The computer data base generates this information. The research supports approximately 75 scriptural promises such as this one: “All who are committed to the Lord are benefitted beyond expression. His children shall be honored everywhere. He himself shall be wealthy and good deeds will never be forgotten” (Psalm 112:1-2 LB). The research on the Fruit(s) of the Spirit substantiates the expression of the Psalmist. There are scores of Biblical promises like this one which are supported by the research. Hopefully, anyone who is still somewhat un-committed to Christ will be strengthened by seeing this research. “May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace as you trust him” (Romans 15:13 NIV). “This is perfect joy — to share in the sufferings of the world as Christ did.” St. Francis of Assisi CHRISTIANITY OFFERS PRACTICAL LIFESKILLS. WHAT YOU SEE IS A 71% DROP IN DEPRESSION AS LEVELS OF JOY AND CHEER INCREASE. MOST PERSONS WILL LIKELY GAIN AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 50% REDUCTION IN STRESS WITH ABOVE AVERAGE JOY / CHEER SCORES (in combination with other factors). There is a strong connection between increasing levels of JOY and decreasing levels of depression. Not everyone with low JOY will be afflicted with a clinical diagnosis of depression. On the average higher spirituality with higher levels of JOY act like preventive medicine. Dr. Hillel Cohen of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine “found that depressed people with no knowledge of their heart disease were 2.3 times more likely than the average person to have a heart attack” (Holland, Michigan Sentinel Wire Services, November 11, 1997). Spirituality raises Joy (Galatians 5:22). Higher-level joy is connected with decreases in depression. Reduced depression “alleviates heart attacks.” Ah Ha! Increased spirituality reduces heart attack risk. “A happy (merry, joyous) heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit” (Proverbs 15:13 NIV , John 15:11). You see, Christianity is very practical. Faith reduces the “crushed” or depressive mental state. Teenagers often feel that Christianity is just a system to limit one’s fun. Actually, the reverse is true. Higher spirituality in Christianity generates (or is associated with) higher levels of JOY. There are numerous causes for depression. Excessive fears, or excessive anger, or excessive guilt can combine with genetic factors, and/or with biochemical changes to generate varying degrees of depression. “Somehow not only for Christmas, but all the long year through, the JOY you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.” CHRISTIANITY IS GREAT FOR STRESS REDUCTION. ON THE AVERAGE, A PERSON CAN SAVE HIM/HERSELF 15.6% ON MARITAL STRESS BY KEEPING SPIRITUALITY AND JOY HIGHER THAN AVERAGE, ALONG WITH KEEPING OTHER Fruit(s) OF THE SPIRIT HIGH. “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11 KJ). God is very practical. He knows we tend to think of our own convenience, our own pleasure. To curb that God sent Jesus to enable persons to think more of others, to empower us to mature. Christian lifeskills strengthen and lengthen marriages. God promises us a payoff for this effort. “Work hard and cheerfully (JOY) at all you do . . . remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to pay you, giving you your full portion of all he owns” (Colossians 3:24 LB). “Remembering!” Remembering every good thing Jesus wants us to do! That’s where people have a problem. We forget too easily. Married persons who attend worship, attend Christian LifeSkills study fellowships and Adult Christian Education classes remember better. On the average, persons with higher JOY suffer fewer divorces. DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS? How often do you and others read this verse and think that the “pay off” will be the gift of “eternal life” or “ heaven” after we die? GOD’S OPTIMUM LIFESKILLS INCLUDE JOY. BOTH ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND SMOKING LEVELS DECREASE AS LEVELS OF JOY / CHEERFULNESS INCREASE. The darker bar that goes from bottom-left up to the right represents 300 data records sorted from lowest JOY / Cheer (bottom left) to highest JOY / Cheer (upper right). Persons with highest level of JOY/ Cheer indulge (on the average) in one-seventh of the amount of alcohol consumption and smoking. (The questions for alcohol consumption were taken directly from diagnostic questions asked by Alcoholics Anonymous.) “Now the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope” (Rom 15:13 RSV). The Apostle Paul knows that JOY is a positive inner substance. JOY is constructive, while substance abuse is destructive. The research statistics show that the intake of divine substance has a more beneficial result. The information in the data base can also be sorted by levels of alcohol consumption and levels of smokers’ problematic symptoms. When that was done, persons in the highest levels of alcohol consumption and smoking generally averaged about 20% to 25% lower in all the Fruit(s) of the Spirit. It appears that average high-level alcohol consumption and high-level smoking is generally associated with lower spirituality. “An example of pseudo-joy based primarily on artificial manipulation of the body is the effect produced by drugs. Amphetamines and cocaine are stimulants that lower the threshold of the limbic pleasure center and increase heart rate, respiration, vasodilation and metabolism. Taking these drugs leads to feelings of excitation and bursts of energy. Drug abusers in search of more ‘joy’ may continually readminister the stimulants until the body is depleted beyond recovery.” (excerpts from Georgia Witkin-Lanoil, Ph.D., Health, Dec. 1984) GODLY JOY REPLACES BOTTLED HURT. THIS CHART DRAWS ATTENTION TO SOME REDUCED JOY / CHEERFULNESS IN OUR LIVES WHEN WE SUPPRESS TOO MANY NEGATIVE FEELINGS, RATHER THAN SETTLE THEM THROUGH SPEAKING UP. The chart shows a body of increasing JOY / Cheerfulness (lined area). The descending tallness of pillars represent the average amount of “ suppression of negative feelings” for all deciles (10% segments of 300 data records). Christians have an image in the world. Christians are supposed to be more loving than average. That sometimes translates into keeping quiet when perhaps we need to learn how to speak up in a helpful and not hurtful way. Look at the Fruit(s) of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If a person connects JOY / Cheerfulness with the other Fruit(s) of the Spirit then the person becomes more proactive, and less withdrawing or explosive. Christians generally do practice more love and care. Some don’t. Some non-Christians take advantage of that and push off their responsibility for being more thoughtful and caring. Non-spiritual persons reap fewer benefits for their lower levels of JOY / Cheerfulness. Higher spiritual JOY and suppression of negative feelings are mostly incompatible. “God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted (troubled) beyond what you are able to bear, but with every temptation (trouble) He will provide you a ways of escape” (I Corinthians 10:13 KJ). That is one way a person gains more JOY. “Often father and mother are so busy they have no time for their children . . . so the children go to the streets and get involved in drugs or other things.” Mother Teresa GOD’S LIFESKILLS HAVE BUILT-IN REWARDS. CANCER INCIDENCE WAS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER AMONG PERSONS WITH LOWER JOY / CHEERFULNESS SCORES. In the computer data base of 300 persons, 32 cases of cancer (10 kinds) were reported. This may be too small a number for making any conclusion. Yet, the chart fits the pattern of other charts. Persons with Fruit(s) of the Spirit above the 66th percentile gain most of the benefits from their higher level spirituality. Both in number and in percent, the graph above gives us a picture and facts that being more highly committed to God’s kind of spirituality has a benefit in a person’s health. God says that too. This is what God is trying to tell us in the Bible. “A cheerful (joyous) heart does good like medicine but a broken spirit makes one sick” ( Proverbs 17:22 KJ). God’s truth and scientific research information above co-mingle to reinforce our faith. DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS? Occasionally, we know of a person who suffered grief, financial problems, or tragedy. Then within a period of time that person becomes ill and dies. Many people sense there is a connection between personal problems that undermine JOY, and ensuing illness. We see the connection between health and JOY mentioned above in Proverbs 17:22. What can (or should) a Christian do to counteract circumstantial set-backs and natural disasters? What do non-Christians do? PRAISING GOD IMPROVES YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. THE CHART SHOWS US A CONNECTION BETWEEN HIGHER-LEVEL JOY /CHEERFULNESS AND DECREASING INCIDENTS OF ILLNESS. Higher-level JOY / Cheerfulness is only one of a great number of factors in illness. Conversion to be a follower of Jesus Christ delivers a combination of 9 Fruit(s) of the Spirit (Christ’s and God’s Holy Spirit). ---- In the chart above, persons above the 70th percentile (solid line, right) show a lower number of “illness incidents” (jagged line, 43.6 at bottom right). Those illness come from 77 self-reported medical diagnoses. That points to the value of being committed to Christ in such a way that it raises your Fruit(s) of the Spirit, which, in turn lowers your illness risks. That connection is being established by research. Here is an excerpt from the Charlotte Observer by Karen Garloch (Nov 1, 1997, Holland, Michigan Sentinel). “In a study of more than 1700 North Carolina adults over age 65, Duke University researchers found that those who attend religious services at least once a week have healthier immune systems than those who don’t. It’s the first study ever published in the medical literature that has found an association between religious activity and immune functioning, says Dr. Harold Koenig, director of Duke’s Center for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health. . . the new study measured blood samples of levels of interleukin 6 and other substances that regulate immune and inflammatory responses. Biological measures are more accurate than interviews, Koenig said. . . . In the study, those who attended religious services once a week were about half as likely as non-attenders to have elevated levels of interluken 6. Says Dr. Koenig, ‘We are not trying to prove that there’s a higher power, but maybe believing in that higher power . . . could be a strong key to people’s health. We can actually show that immune systems [ macrophages, B-lymphocytes, T-cells] are functioning better,’ says Koenig.” Share with others what this research information is affecting in your thinking and hopefully, in your behavior. HOW BIG IS YOUR FAITH BENEFITS PACKAGE? YOU CAN BE HEALTHIER BECAUSE OF YOUR JOY, OR ARE YOU SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR INCREASED ILLNESS AND PROBLEMS BY NOT FINDING ENOUGH JOY? Here are God’s promises. God wants us to rejoice in the midst of difficulty. “We will REJOICE in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners” (Psalm 20:5 KJ). We need to remind ourselves that our higher values “save” us from a lot of misery. That is the highest form of salvation. “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving JOY to the heart” Psalm 19:8 NIV. “Genuine, yet regarded as imposters, known, yet regarded as unknown, dying, yet we live on, beaten and not yet killed, sorrowful, yet always REJOICING” (II Corinthians 6:8-10 NIV). Faith in God, known by looking at Jesus, provides the REJOICING benefit that enables us to cope with tragedy and transcend more unhappy events. DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS? God doesn’t promise that we’ll never suffer. He assures us we can be JOYFUL in times of suffering. Christians suffer accidents. Christians suffer from contagious diseases. Christians have been killed by jealous people for 2000 years. Talk about how a martyr can be burned in Rome’s Coliseum, and die “rejoicing.” “Suffering can be turned to good to produce true JOY in the LET’S FIX JOY AT THE CORE. THIS FIGURE SHOWS THE PSYCHE — THE SOUL — AS THE CORE DECISION MAKING COMPONENT OF A PERSON. Like a computer, the soul integrates the messages from the various sources and initiates the action. Mother Teresa became a world celebrity for her work with the poor people of Calcutta. She accepted a Nobel Peace prize for her work in 1993 and a gift of $60,000 for her work. She has become famous for her JOY in working with the poorest people in the world. Let’s learn from her, how she connected her faith in Jesus Christ with her JOY. Mother Teresa found JOY without possessions. Mother Teresa found JOY before success, not after success. Mother Teresa found JOY in a “call” from God — an inner passion for helping the poorest of the poor in India. Mother Teresa found JOY from a singular commitment to God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Mother Teresa perpetuated her own JOY by renouncing gloominess and radiating JOY. We will deal with 4 issues that are inter-related. 1. Faith focuses on deeper sources of JOY. 2. Faith increases JOY by transcending hurt and anger. 3. Relating to God has soul cleansing properties that increase joy. 4. Upgrading JOY with Biblical knowledge 1. FAITH FOCUSES ON DEEPER SOURCES OF JOY. ALL PERSONS HAVE BODY, MIND, SPIRIT AND PSYCHE. THE GREATEST JOY COMES TO PERSONS WHO LEAN HEAVILY TOWARD EVERYTHING DIVINE WITHIN THE SOUL. --- Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta January 6, 1929. The British left India in 1947. The country was partitioned into India (mostly Hindu) and East and West Pakistan (mostly Muslim). The upheaval triggered mass migration to Calcutta. Poverty developed in the city and Mother Teresa finally replaced her clothes with a sari that was worn by the poorest of the poor in Calcutta. It was her “call.” Remember Jonah and the Whale. He had a lot of anxiety before he finally did what God wanted to him to do. First Jonah fled and boarded a ship in the Mediterranean sea. A storm came up and Jonah felt guilty. He blamed himself. He thought his disobedience caused God to stir up the sea. Jonah told the boat crew to throw him overboard. They did. A whale swallowed him up, and spit him out on land. Jonah was finally converted to do God’s will. Jonah went to preach at Nineveh. The city was converted. — When we do God’s will, with surrendered commitment to Christ’s optimum lifeskills, we regain some calmness in our souls. If you are mostly out of touch with your soul, you will be mostly out of touch with any divine inspiration making itself known in your soul. If a person decides to ignore the call of God, the voice of conscience, that person will miss the deepest and most complete JOY that exists. The heart is the practical functioning part of the inner soul. God has revealed the importance of the function of the heart. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23 KJ). “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance” (Proverbs 3:5 KJ). This is an optimum lifestyle. It was designed by God. You can have free access to that cheerful heart. “God . . . has shined in our hearts” (II Corinthians 4:6). That is what the Apostle Paul told the new converts in Corinth, Greece 2000 years ago. LISTEN TO YOUR SOUL. LISTEN TO YOUR DEEPEST INNER BEING. IS YOUR INNER SOUL AS CALM AS YOU WOULD LIKE IT TO BE? An increase in your JOY level may be blocked by some habitual return to concerns that you should put into the hands of God. Sometimes a person is a believer but has not yet surrendered certain anxieties to God, to let him take care of the problem you may be overly concerned about. Statistical research shows that anxiety symptom levels drop an average 35.7% in that group of persons who reach the 64th to 99th percentile in JOY or Cheerfulness. Mental health professions treat many kinds of phobic (fear) problems, obsessive-compulsive problems and neurotic problems where anxiety and fear levels became excessive. Some anxiety may not be altered by faith. Anxiety attacks may have a number of unresolved past painful experiences, may be related to bio-chemical triggers, or prompted by some genetic determining factors, or combinations of them. CHRISTIANITY HAS EQUIPMENT TO REPAIR ANXIETY. “Perfect love casts out fear” (I John 4:18). The essence of Christianity is bound up with the soul’s direction, turned outward or turned inward. Look at the diagram. If the soul (psyche) is converted to love God and others, and the narcissistic reflex is broken, then anxiety has an enemy: LOVE. We can assure people that trust in God reduces anxiety, because of the love-connection. Besides, the research statistics verify that this promise of God is true (on the average). DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS? What is (are) some of your soul’s deepest passion(s)? Are your passions centered mostly around your appetites, sports, money making, etc, and things that tickle your brain, body and senses? Are you missing deeper JOY? 2. CONFESSION INCREASES JOY BY NEUTRALIZING HURT AND ANGER. SOMETIMES THERE ARE INNER STRUGGLES THAT REDUCE INNER JOY. PEOPLE NEED TO DEAL WITH THEIR NEGATIVE FEELINGS. PEOPLE KEEP TOO MANY PAINFUL SECRETS INSIDE. If you are a newcomer to Christianity, you might not understand what “confession” is all about. It’s about cleaning out negative feelings that we have collected and stored in our minds and emotions (both consciously and unconsciously). Confessions cleans out negativity. People bottle hostile feelings toward others. People have a lid between the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche (See the figure.) People often let in little hurts through the small openings in the “grid” between conscious and the unconscious. They store them, mostly unconsciously. Little hurts, big hurts and long-time grudges often stay inside the unconscious. Sometimes the negativity inside is from imaginary shame or guilt. We use the word “suppression” to talk about bottling hurt/hostile feelings. Bottling hostile feelings is as harmful to the self as exploding them out all the time is harmful to others. Confession ventilates the hurt-filled storehouse. Confession is like owning up to what is inside. Confession is exposing the smoldering material to the cleansing power of the sun and its ultra violet rays. “An evil person is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous person sings and REJOICES” (Proverbs 29:6 RSV). SUPPRESSED ANGERS EXPLODE OR IMPLODE. SHAME AND GUILT TEND TO IMPLODE MORE.. It is nearly always true that a person who bottles negative feelings too long will either blow up and become violent, or implode. Implosion is the word to describe the process of withdrawal, irrational behavior, wacky behavior, or mental illness (in varying degrees). The Bible proclaims much the same message. “Being angry, do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, lest you give opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:16 KJ). Bottled hostile feelings is a problem for both the Christian and everyone else. Shame (imaginary or real), when bottled up, tends to generate emotionally deteriorating processes on the inside. The level of explosive anger in high JOY persons (64th to 99th percentile) is statistically half of the lower-level two-thirds of the population. Spiritually minded persons have a reduction in their anger and an equivalent increase in their JOY. Some Christians miss the JOY they are entitled to, by bottling hostile feelings. You can arrive at higher JOY by confessing your hurt and anger to the person who offended you as advised by Jesus in Matthew 18:25-17. When the person you confront acknowledges, is sorry and repents, then you will be able to forgive easily. If the offender is dead, gone, unknown or unrepentant, then forgiveness is more difficult. You might need to forgive 70 times 7 in private. It will take a lot of “prayer for your enemy.” DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS? Tell about someone who has impressed you with their higher-level Fruit(s) of the Spirit JOY. 3. RELATING TO GOD HAS SOUL CLEANSING PROPERTIES THAT INCREASE JOY. EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL PROBLEMS ARE FEWER WHEN GUILT IS RESOLVED BY CONFESSION, FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION. Christianity reduces guilt. God forgives. God sent Jesus to die for guilt relief. Jesus’ crucifixion provides forgiveness. Christian behaviors help clean up guilt. Christian worship helps the process. If you have big hurts and big angers, then you need the biggest forgiving equipment that is available — Jesus, God and Christianity. Confession, owning up, is the other basic skill that a person may need to get to the higher level of JOY. My grandmother was the happiest older person I ever knew. I lived with her and my grandfather while I went to a nearby Christian academy for my 3rd year of high school. My grandparents were immigrants and settlers in Iowa. My grandparents had 11 children. They lost one at a very young age to cancer. They lost another in a hunting accident while he was in college. They lost a farm during the depression. They were quite poor but lived adequately most of their lives. — I heard my grandmother hum the tunes of Christian songs again and again. God was the source of her JOY. Humming the tunes was the expression of that JOY. — If my grandmother would have filled out my 896 question inventory, I believe she would have had a very high level of Fruit(s) of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. She left a spiritual inheritance to her children and grandchildren. She had JOY. MOTHER TERESA — This is what Mother Teresa told her Sisters of Charity. “Keep giving Jesus to your people not by words, but by your example, by your being in love with Jesus, by radiating his holiness and spreading his fragrance of love everywhere you go. Just keep the joy of Jesus as your strength. Be happy and at peace. Accept whatever he gives — and give whatever he takes with a big smile. You belong to him.” (Suffering Into Joy, p. 22, Egan, 1994) FAITH SAYS THAT YOU CAN LIVE OPTIMUM LIFESKILLS OF JOY. SOME PEOPLE HAVE JOY BECAUSE OF BLESSINGS “I am radiant with JOY because of your mercy, for you have listened to my troubles and have seen the crisis in my soul. You have not handed me over to my enemies, but have given me open ground in which to maneuver” (Psalm 31:7LB). “God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us JOY and light” (Psalm 19:7, 8 LB). SOME PEOPLE CAN EVEN REJOICE WHEN THERE IS TRAGEDY Jesus, after his disciples returned to him: “Then he was filled with the JOY of the Holy Spirit, and said, I praise you, O Father” (Luke 10:21 LB). “Our hearts ache, but at the same time we have the JOY of the Lord” (II Corinthians 6:10 LB). DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS? Describe your journey to higher JOY, or confess what is blocking JOY in your life. “If you are not as close to God as you used to be . . . who moved?” 4. UPGRADING JOY WITH BIBLICAL KNOWLEDGE BE REMINDED! — THERE ARE FABULOUS STATISTICAL BENEFITS FOR HIGHER LEVEL JOY. It’s worth the effort. Jesus memorized and quoted scripture to resist temptations that might kill his deeper JOY. Mother Teresa opened her soul to the influence of the Word of God. Remember that Jesus quoted scripture to ward off the influence of Satan’s temptations. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13, saying to Satan, “Get thee behind me Satan, for it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (KJ). Then he warned Satan using Deuteronomy 6:16, “It is said, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Jesus used the Word as a shield and a sword against evil. Any one who can do that will be able to rise to higher levels of spirituality and higher levels of benefits from the Fruit of the Spirit, JOY. Mother Teresa believed JOY arose out of pain and anguish. Without pain and anguish people will not know the experience of JOY. She, therefore, could be thankful for pain and anguish. It made JOY possible. — Mother Teresa often quoted this verse. “When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you” (John 16:21-22). Mother Teresa always aligned herself with God’s optimum lifeskills. She received benefits. She gave and received JOY. “Even though the figs are all destroyed . . . and though the olive crops fail . . . even if the flocks die in the fields . . . and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be happy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18) (See also Psalm 13:5). MOTHER TERESA “I had the most extraordinary experience with a Hindu family who had eight children. A gentleman came to our house and said, ‘Mother Teresa, there is a family with eight children; they have not eaten for so long; do something.’ So I took some rice and I went there immediately. And I saw the children, their eyes shining with hunger. I don’t know if you have ever seen hunger. But I have seen it very often. And the mother took the rice, divided it, and she went out. When she came back, I asked her, ‘Where did you go/ What did you do?’ She answered simply, ‘They, the neighbors, are hungry also.’ What struck me most was that she knew — and who are they? A Muslim family. I didn’t bring more rice that evening because I wanted them to enjoy the joy of sharing.” (Suffering Into Joy, p. 82., Egan, 1994) A PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO BE JOYFUL EXAMPLES 1. I will raise my level of JOY by rejoicing in God my Savior who saves me from some of the misery of this world. This is my current concern during which time I will rejoice. ______________________________________ 2. If the Virgin Mary could REJOICE during an embarrassing pregnancy, I can rejoice during _________________________. 3. I sometimes get somewhat depressed about _____________, and I now know that I can rethink that by REJOICING rather than complaining. 4. If the Apostle Paul could be JOYFUL in his difficult imprisonment, then I will REJOICE in _____________________. 5. Since unresolved anxiety, fear, anger and guilt can trigger depressive moods, I need to learn to forge ahead with solving my _____________________. 6. Here is my private and personal concern that drags me down. This is what I will do about it. ________________________	This book may be purchased ------- Click on this pircure to go to Pay Pal and purchase this book.