And
let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in
one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do
everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through Him.
~Colossians 3:15-16
Some people seem born
with a sullen and feverish temper, and it is very difficult for them to
brighten into smiles and songs. But whatever our natural disposition may be, if
we belong to Christ it is our bounden duty to cultivate a thankful heart. A
melancholy person has a bad effect upon others. It is miserable to have to work
with or live under a confirmed pessimist. Nothing is right, nothing pleases, and
there is no word of praise or encouragement. If, instead of finding fault with
our employees or children we would look out for things for which we could
commend and thank them, we should probably find a miraculous change in their
attitude.
The advantage of joy and gladness is that it is a source of strength to
the individual soul, and to all others who come within its range, and commends
our Christianity! Sidney Smith says: "I once gave a lady two and twenty
recipes against melancholy; one was a bright fire; another, to remember all the
pleasant things said to her; another, to keep a box of sugar-plums on the
chimney-piece, and a kettle simmering on the stove. I thought this mere
trifling at the moment, but have in after life discovered how true it is, that
these little pleasures often banish melancholy better than more exalted
objects." We may interpret the advice of this humorist and essayist by
turning into joyous praise all the incidents of our daily life, arising with
gratitude and thankfulness from every good and perfect gift to the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ. The world is sad, and has to pay her jesters and
entertainers; it is a mystery to her that the face of the Christian should be
bright and smiling, although the fig-tree does not blossom, and there is no
fruit in the vine. Let us count up our treasures and blessings, and we shall
find that even in the saddest and loneliest life there is something to turn our
sorrow into singing. (2 Corinth.6:10)
F.B. MEYER
“Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous
sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life.” Alexander
Maclaren
