Episode Transcript
[00:00:07] Speaker A: Welcome to the Weekday Podcast of Sugar Hill Church where we desire to help you know God and discover your purpose, whether you're exercising, driving, meditating, or just hanging out while you tune in with us today. Thanks. We hope these next five minutes help you feel encouraged and inspired for your day.
[00:00:23] Speaker B: Thanks so much for joining me on today's weekday Podcast. Today I want to do something a little different. 1. I want to start with just a brief time of meditation. Maybe you're driving so you can't close your eyes, but take in a deep breath through your nose and hold it and then out.
Do that two more times and breathe in God's peace. Breathe out your anxiety one more time.
Well, I spoke the other day about encouragement and I want to follow that up because the Bible has more than 2700 passages that contain words like joy or happiness, gladness or merriment, pleasure, celebration, cheer, laughter, delight, jubilation, feasting, blessing and exaltation.
Our joy and the level of our joy matters to our Creator. I mean, think about this. The Bible doesn't call us to some naivete or some superficial Pollyanna happy talk. Jesus spoke candidly about sin and death and the needs of the human heart, but he did so with hope. He brought joy to the people of 1st century Palestine and he wants to bring joy to you and I in 2023. Not an easy task. I mean, the people in our world, including ourselves and starting with me, can be moody, fickle and stubborn. And that's just really a beginning point, right? I mean, if we're going to find the joy that comes through giving joy away, we need a plan. We need instruction. I mean, it's no wonder the Bible has so much to say about finding joy in the act of sharing it. The New Testament contains more than 51 another statements. They're practical principles for making happiness increase in our life. I don't know anybody that doesn't want a greater degree of happiness in their life. So let me just give you a list of 10 and then save these or jot these down or share this recording to something you can save. And look these up when you can. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 it says encourage one another. In Ephesians 4:2 it says bear with one another. In Philippians 2:4 regard one another as more important. I love that. In Romans 16:16 it says greet one another. In James 5:16 it says pray for one another and I hope that you'll be a part of this 21 days of prayer and fasting and joining us. Fasting a meal on Friday at lunch and praying twice a day and asking the Lord to do something extraordinary in your life.
As the Scripture says in James 5 Pray for one another. Galatians 5:13 says, Serve one another. Romans 15:7 says, Accept one another. Colossians 3:16 says, Admonish one another. Ephesians 4:32 says, Forgive one another. Ouch. And then my favorite first John 3:11 Love one another. I think we ought to open the door to each of these one another passages and embark on broadening and deepening our happiness, the level of our happiness. Because doing good and being an encourager does good for the doer for the one that's doing the encouraging as well. So today, my friend, go be an encourager and be encouraged. God bless you. Thanks for joining me on today's weekday podcast.
[00:04:09] Speaker A: Thanks so much for joining us today for the weekday podcast. Our prayer is that the encouragement you just heard would help you live more like Jesus today day. We would love to see you at Sugar Hill Church for one of our gatherings each Sunday at 9, 30 and 11. And we're always streaming live at Live Sugar Hill Church. Thanks again for joining us today. As always, if today's message encouraged you, share it with friends and family by tapping the share button. Have an awesome day.
