I’ve been reading a book from our church library:
How to Keep Your Joy by Paul Walker. Why? Because I like being happy.
Most of this is simply verbatim from the book, the parts that I want to remember, hold on to, let seep into my life…
Joy is affected by our vocabulary.
Our words (in order to promote joy) should
- REFINE “no corrupt word”
- RESPECT “lift up, raise up, bring into symmetry and balance; accept others as important in the image of God. Disrespectful, irreverent speech breeds guilt, fear, suspicion, and distrust.”
- RELATE
- REINFORCE “grace is positive reinforcement”
- REFLECT “the image of Christ in what you say”
*Interesting to me that Walker is talking about how our words, which we speak TO others, have an effect not only on the ones who hear but on ourselves, the ones who speak. When we speak disrespectful, coarse words we make joy improbable (if not impossible) for others and for ourselves.
“You have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you putoff, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians4:21-22
Joy is affected by how we plan our priorities.
- Don’t get caught up in the stress of the times. Set priorities so that the positives – energized by the Spirit of Christ – counteract and control the negatives. Never surrender to the negative signs of the times.
- Seek what is TIMELESS: the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Seek means “to pursue actively”; we should be seeking to develop the highest that is in us, to live our lives in constant development of the spiritual nature that reflects the righteousness of God.
- Sort out the temporary influences that could hinder your joy, by placing persistent trust in an unfailing God. Take a timeless approach to temporary situations.
- Sanctify the tomorrows. “Therefore DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW…” Worry = low-grade fear; opposing forces; negative thought patterns; torment, confusion, helplessness; indecision; physical stress. Set apart the tomorrows as holy, belonging to God. All we have is the now, and this now is to be lived out according to the highest priorities given to us by God in the fulfillment of the self.
Joy is affected by how we discipline our desires.
“…when our desires are unrestrained and out of focus, we lose our joy.”
We maintain joy by changing those behaviors that bring us sorrow, sadness, and difficulty. We make an intellectual-emotional-spiritual decision to function in a way that brings the highest productivity in our lives.
Joy is the result of self-control. Self-control comes from choice. Decide. Determine. Develop.
The key to determination is a sense of inner directedness that does not yield to the pressures of the age – that identifies with the highest rather than the lowest, the best rather than the worst, the ideal rather than the average, the excellent rather than the mediocre.
The determined life reaches for the deepest resources in Christ. Determination stands up and says, I’m taking charge of my life, my schedule, my attitudes, my responses, my behavior…I refuse to be immobilized by the lower nature and the works of the flesh.
PREACH IT, Paul Walker!
Joy is maintained (or destroyed) by the way we speak.