May 28:  Cheerfulness and Contentment.

The Earthly and Heavenly Church.
"Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah.  Therefore love truth and peace.' "--Zechariah 8:19, NKJV

OUR MEETINGS SHOULD be made intensely interesting.  They should be pervaded with the very atmosphere of heaven.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, 609.

They should be treated with the greatest solemnity and reverence, yet all the pleasantness possible should be brought into them.  They should not be prolonged till they become wearisome, for the impression thus made upon the minds of the youth will cause them to associate religion with all that is dry and uninteresting; and many will be led to cast their influence on the side of the enemy, who, if properly taught, would become a blessing to the world and to the church....The social meetings and all other religious exercises should be so planned and managed that they will be not only profitable, but so pleasant as to be positively attractive.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, 174.

The church of God below is one with the church of God above.  Believers on the earth and the beings in heaven who have never fallen constitute one church.  Every heavenly intelligence is interested in the assemblies of the saints who on earth meet to worship God.  In the inner court of heaven they listen to the testimony of the witnesses for Christ in the outer court on earth, and the praise and thanksgiving from the worshipers below is taken up in the heavenly anthem, and praise and rejoicing sound through the heavenly court because Chirst has not died in vain for the fallen sons of Adam.  While angels drink from the fountainhead, the saints on earth drink of the pure streams flowing from the throne, the streams that make glad the city of our God.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, 366.

May 27:  Cheerfulness and Contentment.

The Joy in Being Able to Give.
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.--2 Corinthians 9:7, NKJV

GOD DESIGNS that the exercise of benevolence shall be purely voluntary...."God loveth a cheerful giver."  He is not pleased to have His treasury replenished with forced supplies.  The loyal hearts of His people, rejoicing in the saving truth for this time, will, through love and gratitude to Him for this precious light, be earnest and anxious to aid with their means in sending the truth to others.  The very best  manner in which to give expression to our love for our Redeemer is to make offerings to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth.  The plan of redemption was entirely voluntary on the part of our Redeemer, and it is the purpose of Christ that all our benevolence should be freewill offerings.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 413.

Spiritual prosperity is closely bound up with Christian liberality.  The followers of Christ should rejoice in the privilege of revealing in their lives the beneficence of their Redeemer.  As they give to the Lord they have the assurance that their treasure is going before them to the heavenly courts.  Would men make their property secure?  Let them place it in the hands that bear the marks of the crucifixion.  Would they enjoy their substance?  Let them use it to bless the needy and suffering.  Would they increase their possessions?  Let them heed the divine injunction, "Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine."  Proverbs 3:9, 10.  Let them seek to retain possessions for selfish purposes, and it will be to their eternal loss.  But let their treasure be given to God, and from that moment it bears His inscription.  It is sealed with His immutability.--The Acts of the Apostles, 344.

May 26:  Cheerfulness and Contentment.

Making Duty and Drudgery Noble.
If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.  If it is giving, give generously.  If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.  And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.--Romans 12:8, NLT

WHEN WE ARE TRULY consecrated to God, His love will abide in our hearts by faith, and we will cheerfully do our duty in accordance with the will of God.--Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 399.

True service links the lowliest of God's servants on earth with the highest of His servants in the courts above.--Messages to Young People, 72.

Even though your work may seem to be a drudgery, you may ennoble it by the way in which you do it.  Do it as unto the Lord.  Do it cheerfully, and with heaven-born dignity.  It is the noble principles which are brought into the work that make it wholly acceptable in the Lord's sight.--Messages to Young People, 72.

We must sow beside all waters, keeping our souls in the love of God, working while it is day, and using the means the Lord has given us to do whatever duty comes next.  Whatever our hands find to do, we are to do it with cheerfulness; whatever sacrifice we are called upon to make, we are to make it cheerfully.--Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 423.

                    And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
                                knowing that from the Lord you will receive
                      the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
                              
                                                        --Colossians 3:23, 24, NKJV

May 25:  Cheerfulness and Contentment.

Cheerfulness Reflects the Beauty of the Soul.
A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.--Proverbs 15:13. NLT

ALL MAY POSSESS a cheerful countenance, a gentle voice, a courteous manner, and these are elements of power.--Education, 240.

The human countenance itself is a mirror of the soul, read by others, and having a telling influence upon them for good or evil.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 522.

The faces of those who are benevolent and sympathetic will shine with the luster of true goodness, while those who do not cherish kindly thoughts and unselfish motives express in their faces the sentiments cherished in their hearts.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 63.

Christ abiding in the heart shines out in the faces of those who love Him and keep His commandments.  Truth is written there.  The sweet peace of heaven is revealed.  There is expressed a habitual gentleness, a more than human love.--Christ's Object Lessons, 102.

Love imparts to its possessor grace, propriety, and comeliness of deportment.  Love illuminates the countenance and subdues the voice; it refines and elevates the entire man.  It brings him into harmony with God, for it is a heavenly attribute.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 559.

                                          If you want to enjoy life
                                     and see many happy days,
                               keep your tongue from speaking evil
                                     and your lips from telling lies.
                                  Turn away from evil and do good.
                           Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
                                                                  --1 Peter 3:10, 11, NLT

May 24:  Cheerfulness and Contentment.

Enter Into the Joy of Others.
"For this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life.  He was lost, but now he is found."  So the party began.--Luke 15:24, NLT

IN HIS RESTLESS YOUTH the prodigal looked upon his father as stern and severe.  How different his conception of him now! So those who are deceived by Satan look upon God as hard and exacting....His law they regard as a restriction upon men's happiness, a burdensome yoke from which they are glad to escape.  But he whose eyes have been opened by the love of Christ will behold God as full of compassion. He does not appear as a tyrannical, relentless being, but as a father longing to embrace his repenting son.  The sinner will claim with the Psalmist, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him."  Psalm 103:13.--Christ's Object Lessons, 204.

The very first reaching out of the heart after God is known to Him.  Never a prayer is offered, however faltering, never a tear is shed, however secret, never a sincere desire after God is cherished, however feeble, but the Spirit of God goes forth to meet it.  Even before the prayer is uttered or the yearning of the heart made known, grace from Christ goes forth to meet the grace that is working upon the human soul.--Christ's Object Lessons, 206.

Arise and go to your Father.  He will meet you a great way off.--Christ's Object Lessons, 206.

He will bring you into His banqueting house, and His banner over you shall be love.  (Song of Solomon 2:4).--Christ's Object Lessons, 206.

And heaven and earth shall unite in the Father's song of rejoicing: "For this My son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."--Christ's Object Lessons, 207.

                            "I will answer them before they even call to me.
                                 While they are still talking about their needs,
                                      I will go ahead and answer their prayers!"
                                                                                      --Isaiah 65:24, NLT

May 23:  Cheerfulness and Contentment.

He Rejoices When a Prodigal Returns.
The father said to his servants, "Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry."--Luke 15:22, 23, NKJV

LITTLE DID THE GAY, thoughtless youth, as he went out from his father's gate, dream of the ache and longing left in that father's heart.  When he danced and feasted with his wild companions, little did he think of the shadow that had fallen on his home.  And now as with weary and painful steps he pursues the homeward way, he knows not that one is watching for his return.  But while he is yet "a great way off" the father discerns his form.  Love is of quick sight.  Not even the degradation of the years of sin can conceal the son from the father's eyes.  He "had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck" in a long, clinging, tender embrace.

The father will permit no contemptuous eye to mock at his son's misery and tatters.  He takes from his own shoulders the broad, rich mantle, and wraps it around the son's wasted form....The father holds him close to his side, and brings him home.  No opportunity is given him to ask a servant's place.  He is a son, who shall be honored with the best the house affords, and whom the waiting men and women shall respect and serve.

The father said to his servants, "Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.  And they began to be merry."--Christ's Object Lessons, 203, 204.

                       "Likewise, I say to you,
              there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
                     over one sinner who repents."
                                                            --Luke 15:10, NKJV

May 22:  Cheerfulness and Contentment.

A Pleasure for God.
"God will not cast away the blameless, nor will He uphold the evildoers.  He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, and your lips with rejoicing."--Job 8:20, 21, NKJV

YOU WILL EVER FIND the true Christian a marked cheerfulness, a holy, happy confidence in God, a submission to His providences, that is refreshing to the soul.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 377.

Said Christ: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  We are not to make crosses for ourselves, by wearing sackcloth, by pinching our bodies, or by denying ourselves wholesome, nourishing food.  We are not to shut ourselves in monasteries, away from the world, and do no good to our fellow beings, thinking this is the cross of Christ; neither are we required to expose health and life unnecessarily, nor to go mourning up the hill of Christian life, feeling it a sin to be cheerful, contented, happy, and joyful.  These are all self-made crosses, but not the cross of Christ.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 626.

Christians who gather up gloom and sadness to their souls, and murmur and complain, are giving to others a false representation of God and the Christian life.  They give the impression that God is not pleased to have His children happy, and in this they bear false witness against our heavenly Father.--Steps to Christ,--116.

                         Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances,
                                       for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
                                                                                       --1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NLT

May 21:  Cheerfulness and Contentment.

Life's Greatest Joy.
"There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving, and I will multiply my people, not diminish them; I will honor them, not despise them."--Jeremiah 30:19, NLT

MANY PROFESSED CHRISTIANS do not correctly represent the Christian religion.  They appear gloomy, as if under a cloud.  They often speak of the great sacrifices they have made to become Christians.  They appeal to those who have not accepted Christ, representing by their own example and conversation that they must give up everything which would make life pleasant and joyful.  They throw a pall of darkness over the blessed Christian hope.  The impression is given that God's requirements are a burden even to the willing soul, and that everything that would give pleasure, or that would delight the taste, must be sacrificed.--Messages to Young People, 363.

Obedience to our Saviour does not detract from our happiness and true pleasure in this life.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 374.

Whatever Christ asks us to renounce, He offers in its stead something better....When once the gaze is fixed upon Him, the life finds its center....Duty becomes a delight and sacrifice a pleasure.  To honor Christ, to become like Him, to work for Him, is the life's highest ambition and its greatest joy.--Education, 296.

                      Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
                                                                                            --Romans 12:12, NRSV

May 20:  Cheerfulness and Contentment.

Christian Grace.
So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun.--Ecclesiastes 8:15, NRSV

SOME PRESERVE a cold, chilling reserve, an iron dignity, that repels those who are brought within their influence.  This spirit is contagious; it creates an atmosphere that is withering to good impulses; it chokes the natural current of human sympathy, cordiality, and love; and under its influence people become constrained, and their social and generous attributes are destroyed for want of exercise.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 63.

You have a duty to perform, which is to make yourself cheerful, and to cultivate unselfishness in your feelings until it will be your greatest pleasure to make all around you happy....You need to soften your hearts and be imbued with the Spirit of Christ, that you may, while living in an atmosphere of cheerfulness and benevolence, help those about you to be healthy and happy also.  You have imagined that cheerfulness was not in accordance with the religion of Christ.  This is a mistake.  We may have true Christian dignity and at the same time be cheerful and pleasant in our deportment.  Cheerfulness without levity is one of the Christian graces.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 61, 62.

                   Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
                               for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
                                                                                         --1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NRSV     

May 19:  Cheerfulness and Contentment.

The Lord Helps and Heals.
A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.--Proverbs 17:22, NLT

THE RELATION THAT EXISTS between the mind and the body is very intimate.  When one is affected, the other sympathizes.  The condition of the mind affects the health to a far greater degree than many realize.  Many of the diseases from which men suffer are the results of mental depression.  Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust, all tend to break down the life forces and to invite decay and death....

Courage, hope, faith, sympathy, love, promote health  and prolong life.  A contented mind, a cheerful spirit, is health to the body and strength to the soul.  "A merry [rejoicing] heart doeth good like medicine."  Proverbs 17:22,--The Ministry of Healing, 241.

Christ is the wellspring of life.  That which many need is to have a clearer knowledge of Him; they need to be patiently and kindly, yet earnestly, taught how the whole being may be thrown open to the healing agencies of heaven.  When the sunlight of God's love illuminates the darkened chambers of the soul, restless weariness and dissatisfaction will cease, and satisfying joys will give vigor to the mind and health and energy to the body.--The Ministry of Healing, 247.

                                           Being cheerful keeps you healthy.
                                    It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.
                                                                                            --Proverbs 17:22, GNT