5 am Wake Up Call: Oh, what a beautiful morning!
Framily: The past few weeks, we’ve been looking at a few things that Christ calls his
followers to do differently than the rest of the world and how your family would be
transformed if you committed to do these things together. Whether you call yourself
a Christian or you’re just checking us out today, I do believe that applying the
teachings of Christ to your life will lead to a better life. And a healthier family. Even if you don’t believe Christ raised from the dead.

The world doesn’t teach you to love your enemies. That’s not natural. But that’s what Christ calls his followers to do. To be set apart. The world doesn’t teach you to rest. In my Life Group this past week, we talked about how guilty we feel when we take a day off. That’s not healthy. That’s the world. But God wired you to rest and slow down.

And if we applied today’s teaching and really lived this out with our framily, it would radically change every day of our life.

7 So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God
approves of this! (Approves – accepts, enjoys, delights)8Wear fine clothes, with a
splash of cologne! [Ecclesiastes 9:7-8]

God enjoys when we enjoy our life.

He gave it to us and it brings him pleasure when we find joy in our daily routine.
He’s not saying to be greedy or a shopaholic or to go crazy buying a bunch of junk onAmazon. He’s saying to find true joy in each day. God finds true splendor when we are enjoying the life that he gave us.

Solomon knows that we live in a broken world that could weight us down. But don’t
allow it to. Instead, eat with joy and live with a happy heart. He’s not saying to ignore the pain in our lives. He’s saying to pause and appreciate what is good around you.

Inside Out: You need all of your emotions, but you can choose your perspective

9 Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that
God has given you under the sun. ||| The wife God gives you is your reward for all
your earthly toil. [Ecclesiastes 9:9]

Family is Reward: Some of you are saying…can I trade in my reward for another one?!

10Whatever you do, do well. (with all your might) For when you go to the grave, there
will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.” [Ecclesiastes 9:10]

Live each day with all your might. Own the day because it’s a gift from God. God
wants you to find joy in every season of your life.

A lot of people think following God means agreeing to a set of rules, that following
Christ means living by a rulebook of things you can’t do. But it’s the opposite.
Following Christ means discovering freedom. And joy. And peace. It means capturing the kind of life that God created you to live.

You were created to live a life of love, a life of rest, a life of joy. But the world
doesn’t teach you that. So we end up with war. And exhaustion. And depression.
Joy isn’t about circumstance. It’s about perspective.

12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if
something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad – for these trials
make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy
of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. [1 Peter 4:12-13]

Happiness is through circumstance. Joy is through choice.

You’re going to go through difficult times. It’s inevitable. Because we live in a broken world with broken people. And broken people hurt broken people.
But we can still choose joy, even in the midst of brokenness.

Life is Beautiful: He gave his son a different perspective of the brokenness

Our father wants us, his children, to have a different perspective of the brokenness.
14 If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the
glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. 15 If you suffer, however, it must not be for
murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. 16But it is no
shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by
his name! [1 Peter 4:14-16]

Praise God for the suffering in your life! Doesn’t that just sound like a crazy person?
What compels someone to find joy when they are suffering? Faith!
Joy takes faith. It means trusting that God is still going to provide
for you, even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty.
If you have joy in the midst of chaos, it’s because you are either faithful or crazy.

The reason we struggle to find joy in our hardest moments is because we forget that
God is still in control and that God is still good. We let the world drag us down to its
level. But God is always calling us to something more.

Joy is a discipline. It doesn’t come naturally. No one is naturally full of joy when they are facing incredibly hard times. Happiness comes naturally, but joy is something that we have to be disciplined towards.
Joy is a choice. Your entire life would change if you decided to remain joyful,
regardless of the circumstance. Don’t be reactive to the season you are in. Be
proactive in choosing to find God in the middle of it.

Titanic Musicians: their joy for music calmed people

Joy is a sign of maturity. It takes maturity and wisdom to remain joyful during
brokenness, calm during madness, peaceful when things are falling apart.
Joy is contagious. The kind of person who remains joyful in all circumstances…that’s the kind of person I want to be around.

Application:
– How would your life look different if you chose joy every day this week?
– How would your family look different if you chose joy every day this week?
– What area of your life is the hardest to find joy right now?

That’s the area where you might need to start. Because if you can master joy there,
then you can anywhere.