1 Thessalonians 5:11 | Matthew 5:14 | Hebrews 13:16
Don’t keep that joy, joy, joy, joy down in your heart. Share it!
A man’s wife left him, so he moved into an old apartment building, where he made some new friends. He found that many of the other residents in that run-down old building were facing similar trials, and this was a source of comfort to him.
For a few months, he and his new neighbors would eat dinner together, either in one of their apartments or in a restaurant. But on the day the man’s divorce was finalized in court, he did not feel like socializing. He opted instead for the solitude of his tiny living room when he was not working. If he went out, he did so alone.
One day, he ran into a neighbor friend in the hallway. “Where have you been?” she asked. “I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
“I’ve been depressed,” he replied.
“We all have!” she fired back. “Why do you think we spend so much time together?”
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT
If just being around other people is enough to comfort you in times of trouble, imagine how much more comfort comes from spending time with brothers and sisters in the faith. So spend time with your Christian brothers and sisters and build each other up.
But don’t limit your circle of influence to just believers. Sure, hanging with other Christians helps you recharge. But Jesus told his disciples not to hide their light from the world.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:14 NLT
Being the light of the world is a direct result of God’s Holy Spirit living in you. And you take your lampshade off when you actually do good things to help other people.
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Hebrews 13:16 NLT
The Apostle Paul calls these good things “sacrifices” that “are pleasing to God.” Wait–you can please God by doing good things and sharing what you have? Yes, you can.
The man we mentioned earlier had not considered that his presence in his new group of neighbor friends was uplifting to them. When he learned that not only was he one of several depressed people in the group, but also that his presence was missed, he chose to end his self-imposed isolation and start shining his light again.
You can shine your light, too. Charge it by spending meaningful time with other believers. Then share it by doing good things for others.
Questions for Group Discussion
- What does it mean to you to “spread the joy”? Is it the Joy of salvation? Is it joy in general?
- What if you don’t feel joyful? Can you fake it till you make it? Should you? Is it even possible to do so?
- What is the difference between Joy and happiness? (Notice the capital ‘J’ in joy.)
Challenge: Spread the Joy
So you want to spread some joy? Great. How can you do that?
Logically it would seem that, if you want to spread anything, you need to move it in different directions away from where it starts. That may be how this Joy thing works, as well.
- Find the center of your circle of influence. It might be you and one or two friends. It could be your father or mother or sister.
- Take some time to pray about where your Joy comes from, and how you can best share it.
- When you feel like you have a good handle on 1 & 2 above, think of how you might spread your Joy beyond your circle by doing good things for those on its outer edges, especially if these are things that can be passed along to others further out.
- Pull the trigger. Do what you thought of to spread the Joy.
