Guest Post by Ray Kingrea of Tree of Life Ministries
Pastor Kingrea writes “The Journey” posts daily via his Facebook page. Follow him on Facebook here.
The JOURNEY- Cheerful – 1Thess.5:15 – Be cheerful no matter what…
1 Thessalonians 5:15 — 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. —– New International Version (NIV)
I’m a typically cheerful person. I really try to not let much in life determine who Christ is in me and wants to be through me but there are times when I don’t feel like smiling back at life when life isn’t smiling at me. Life has a lot to do with our smile. Smiling is the outward expression of an inward feeling that comes from an emotion of extreme joy. That’s why we’re often suspicious of people that are smiling for no reason at all.
Paul said “Be cheerful at all times…” We could say “Don’t let anything in this world take away your joy.” We have a lot to be cheerful about. We have a lot to smile about. It’s impossible to be full of cheer and it not come out of us and get to others. Refuse to allow the temperature of this world to control the thermostat of your heart. Determine to not allow the world to control the joy of Christ in you. If we allow His Spirit to do in us what He wants then being cheerful won’t be a wishful thing, it will be a real experience. You can be cheerful no matter what! No matter the economy, job, struggle, battle, hurt, pain, or sorrow. None of this will effect that which is in you.
