JESUS SAID, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”(John 14:1 NKJV). BENEFITS OF A MERRY HEART

“A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22 NKJV). MERRY: to be cheerful, filled with joy and gladness.
HEART: your spirit, your inner most and immaterial being.
MEDICINE: that which is used to cure all ailments, sicknesses, and diseases and to maintain good health.
+Could it be that the cure that some of us need to overcome ailments is a MERRY HEART?
+Everyone needs the MEDICINE of a MERRY HEART.

+May the JOY of the Lord be your strength (Neh 8:10), today, tomorrow, and every day for the rest of your life in Jesus’ Name.
+Knowing that a Merry Heart does good because it is God’s medicine for your spirit, soul, and body.

“A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” (Proverbs 15:13 NKJV).

+The basis of a MERRY HEART is the Love of God in our hearts.
Romans 5:5 reminds us that,…the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us.
+The very first manifestation of the characteristic of the Love of God in our hearts is JOY as (Galatians 5:22-23) points out to us.
+WE are not waiting to get JOY. We have JOY, unspeakable JOY. JOY beyond explanation and comprehension.
+The JOY that we have
…is not of the mind. It’s of the Heart.
…It is not from without. It is from within.
…It is not from Earth below. It is from Heaven above.
+The JOY we have is from God the Holy Spirit Who is in our hearts. Hallelujahs to Jesus!

+Remember a MERRY HEART has the JOY of the Lord in it.
Hebrews 12:2-3 tells us :
2 Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher (Perfecter) of our faith; who for the JOY that was set before him ENDURED the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that ENDURED such hostility of sinners against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds.
+JOY in the HEART produces ENDURANCE, PERSEVERANCE, and STEADFASTNESS.
+Jesus ENDURED the cross for the JOY was set before Him, so likewise we shall endure all trials and tests for the JOY that is set before us.
+JOY in the Heart keeps us on the path that leads us to VICTORY. Never lose your JOY.

FINALLY:

“Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.” (Proverbs 12:25 NKJV).

+The JOY of a MERRY HEART is needed for the work of the Ministry.
+We cannot EFFECTIVELY, SKILLFULLY and POWERFULLY serve the Lord and each other without JOY in our hearts.
Psalm 100:1-2
1 MAKE a JOYFUL noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with GLADNESS (JOY)…
Philemon 1:7
For we have GREAT JOY and consolation (comfort and encouragement) in your love, because the hearts of the saints are refreshed by you, brother.
+JOY in our hearts optimizes us in every area of our lives, and in all that we do for the glory of God.

REMEMBER:
+JOY is one of the products of a MERRY HEART.
+It is God’s WILL and DESIRE that we live a JOYFUL life.
John 15:11 says, These things have I spoken unto you, that My JOY might remain in you, and that your JOY might be FULL.
Then 1 Peter 1:8 KJV tells us,
…and rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.ALLELUIA!
+Also a MERRY heart is a heart that WILLINGLY and CHEERFULLY gives to God and to others.
Let’s take a look at 2 Corinthians 9:7 (KJV):
Every man, according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a CHEERFUL giver.

Another version clarifies it this way:
Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a CHEERFUL (JOYOUS, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving].(2 Corinthians 9:7 AMP)
+God’s standards of giving is always with a MERRY, JOYFUL and CHEERFUL Heart.
+And we cannot Love with Giving.
•Continue to let the WORD of God be the standard for your life. Always LOVING others like Christ Jesus loves us while keeping our Faith, Trust and Confidence in Him.
•BLESSED you are and BLESSED you will always be and to God be all the GLORY. Amen!

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.” [Jude 1:24‭-‬25 NKJV].