Dream Haters: Joy Jailers

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 (ESV)

Have you spent time around grumpy Christians? 

  • If they're happy, they keep it well-disguised– like people who are sad, mad, or burdened.

  • They don’t stand up in exuberant faith– like Christ’s disciples before He had risen.

  • They seem wrapped up and bound by their trials– like convicts without the hope of freedom.

But Jesus did rise, and so did our hope. The prosecutor lost! The Defense won! The Judge said 'Not Guilty,' and mankind cheered:

'O clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy' (Psalm 47:1).

Do you know a lot of joyful Christians? Are you among them? For me and my house (in our B.C. years)... a handful of happy Christians showed us something very new: 

FOUNDATIONAL JOY! A lifestyle so deeply rooted in love… it lifts their hearts in no-matter-what FAITH– which is a wondrous calling card for Christ!

NOTE: Foundational joy isn’t “foolish” joy: a silly grin that ignores suffering like it wasn't there. Instead, it’s WISE JOY:

  • Joy that gives and receives consolation!

  • Joy that knows and shows good things are coming!

Actors, models. and talent for Christ:

Joy is your strength and your ace in the hole. When you show the world a sympathetic and courageous joy, Jesus notices. So does Hollywood. Everyone respects grace under pressure. It’s a win-win-win!

  • A win for you to get your Savior’s Smile.

  • A win in effective evangelism.

  • A win in gaining VIP respect.

2nd NOTE: Avoid joy jailers like the plague they are. But, when you DO see them, always be kind.

Dream Haters: Joy Jailers (Part 15)

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban