# The Christian and His Emotion Hope, Joy, & Cheer Language: en Author: Steve Ebersole Myerstown, Pennsylvania Original issue: The Heartbeat of The Remnant, Winter 2025 Source pages: 26–29 Read article: Original PDF: Winter\-2025\-Remnant\.pdf [The Heartbeat of The Remnant, Winter 2025]() Editor’s note: This is a new series about the Christian and his emotions, based on a booklet published by Pilgrim Ministries\. In each issue, we will examine a set of human emotions and draw Biblical conclusions for the right response\. This first article is an introduction to understanding our emotions\. ## Lesson Aim To discover how faith brings grace into our hearts, thereby giving us hope, joy, and cheer in spite of life’s changes\. Spiritual virtues contribute to emotional stability\. ## Lesson Focus Almost everyone feels happy when life is full of promise, and it seems like dreams will come true\. That usually changes when dreams fade or life becomes painful\. The wise man observed, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life” \(Proverbs 13:12\)\. When you notice patterns in life, a common thread appears\. Almost all people with emotional issues also have a life filled with feelings of hopelessness\. In our last lesson, we learned that emotions are not retained when a person is converted\. Our emotions function the same way as Elijah from the Old Testament, as mentioned in James 5:17, who is remembered for his emotional highs and lows, and also resemble unconverted pagans, as described in Acts 14:15\. Does this mean that as Christians, we must have the same despair as the lost? Does it mean that we are held hostage to the same ups and downs the world experiences? No\! Sure, we may flounder if we do not lay hold of Christian realities, but this lesson is meant to help us understand the connection between human temptation and the resources available to the child of God\. ## Lesson Summary Faith gives us access to grace\. Grace, defined by Strong’s as being “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life\. \. \. or as divine assistance in the trials of life,” is a wonderful stabilizer for emotions\. Faith also causes us to “rejoice in hope of the glory of God\.” Romans 5:2b When our true hope is in the promises God has made for us, then the more life fades away here, the greater the hope dawns on the other side\. This lesson begins with a focus on hope\. The Bible gives many promises about hope and what it can do for the believer, even as he walks through a world of despair\. Hope opens the door to joy, defined as “the emotion evoked by well\-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires\.” Joy yields cheer, an emotion repeatedly called upon when believers face times of hardship or distress\. But it all begins with an anchor in the presence of Christ\. Theme Verse: “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God\.” Romans 5:2 ## Lesson Texts ### WHY ART THOU CAST DOWN? Psalm 42:3\-6 “My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day\. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance\. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee\. \. \.” Romans 8:23\-25 “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body\. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it\. ### HOPE AS OUR SOUL’S ANCHOR Romans 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope\.” Hebrews 6:18\-19 “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul\. \. \.” ### THE ELUSIVE NATURE OF JOY Ecclesiastes 2:1\-4 “I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity\. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine\. \. \. I made me great works\. \. \.” Ecclesiastes 2:10\-11 “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour\. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought\. \. \. behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun\.” ### THE CHOICE TO REJOICE Habakkuk 3:17\-18 “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation\.” James 1:2\-3 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience\.” Matthew 5:11\-12 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake\. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven\. \. \.” Luke 10:19\-20 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you\. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather, because your names are written in heaven\.” Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice\.” ### BE OF GOOD CHEER John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace\. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world\.” ## Questions For Thought and Discussion ### WHY ART THOU CAST DOWN? 1. What had the Psalmist done to recover his joy? Why was he still feeling cast down? 2. Why does God permit His children to groan within themselves? ### HOPE AS OUR SOUL ANCHOR 3. What does reading the Biblical accounts of how God worked with men in the Old Testament and reviewing New Testament promises do for us? 4. Explain how hope is an anchor for the soul and what that does for emotions\. ### THE ELUSIVE NATURE OF JOY 5. What were some of Solomon’s resources in his pursuit of joy? Why did he still not find it? 6. Why do you think we should not make it our primary goal in life to have immediate and/or constant happiness? ### THE CHOICE TO REJOICE 7. What is meant by the statement, “the choice to rejoice?” Can a person make himself feel happy? 8. What is the anchor of life that brings us joy even as life’s pleasures fade? Luke 10:19\-20 ### BE OF GOOD CHEER 9. Why does it usually produce negative effects if you tell someone to “cheer up”? 10. How does Jesus’ focus on the joy set before Him create an example that is different than just an admonition to “be happy”? 11. How do we know the power of choice lies at the root of hope, joy and cheer? Explain how we do not choose the feeling, but we choose the virtues that create the emotions\. ## Applying the Lesson ### THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A “JOY SWITCH\.” Joy feels so good that all of us would simply turn it on if given the chance\. In fact, much of the pursuit of alcohol, drugs, and even some medications comes from seeking an elevated mood\. When asked what doing street drugs did for him, a recovered addict shared, “It altered my sense of reality and lifted my mood\.” Doesn’t that briefly explain what the child of God does to find joy? He chooses to view life from an eternal perspective, and as a result, his mood is lifted\. Someone has observed that the pursuit of joy and happiness is much like trying to catch a butterfly\. When someone sets himself to “catch” joy, it may well elude his most fervent pursuits, but if he minds his own business and quiets himself to reflect on his endeavors, it will come and rest on his shoulder\. Chasing joy requires deeper reflection\. Who is a person really focusing on when they seek happiness? When we decide to think about our own fulfillment, what changes in our world? How do we recognize needs in others? How do we see open doors to sow righteous influence in others’ lives? How often do we think of our Creator and the purpose He had in creating us? If we aren’t fulfilling the purpose for which we were created, will we truly find fulfillment? Can we begin to see how dangerous it is to even think the question, “How can I be happy?” There are choices we can make to restore joy in our souls\. It seems most of us have a natural default mood that tends toward either foolishness or depression\. The terms we most often use are either optimistic or pessimistic\. To retain a balance of constant, steady joy that our souls long for, it will really only be achieved in eternity\. But there are choices we can make that guide us toward the joy God has for us in a fallen world\. Interestingly, the Bible never commands men to be happy\. Trying to choose happiness keeps the focus on self and self\-improvement, so the work is doomed from the start\. The command is to rejoice, or worship, which naturally directs our attention to the One who has created us and orders our lives\. The first choice we must make is to decide to rejoice and praise God\. Our human nature is to feel happy when things are going well and to become upset when they aren’t\. But the Scriptures teach us to choose to rejoice or worship, which leads to happiness even in difficult situations\. This command is repeated so often that it’s easy to see how important it is in both the Old and New Testaments\. This only happens when a person steps back from their immediate disappointment and looks up to their Sovereign Father\. They bow their heart and say, “You are choosing this for me, Father, and if you choose it, I accept it\. I don’t understand it and don’t necessarily want it, but since you choose it, I praise you\.” There is tremendous power made available in our lives when we choose joy\. Instead of being a victim of undesirable circumstances, we become a victor over them\. The second choice we must make is to deliberately reject the “pleasures of sin for a season\.” There are pleasures in instant gratification\. The glutton enjoys the flavors that please his taste buds\. The fornicator has his fun\. Even the thought of sin and indulging in the forbidden can bring a fleeting rush of adrenaline\. These things have enough of a thrill that people become deceived and addicted to sin\. When the thrill is over, those who indulge in sinful pleasures are left with deep emptiness\. Their regrets wash over them, wave after wave\. If we want true joy, we must choose to deny our flesh, the very things that appeal to our lower nature\. Another choice is to choose the Holy Spirit’s fruit of joy\. It’s natural to think that when one chooses to hearken to the Holy Spirit, He will automatically bring joy into our lives\. And in a sense, that’s true\. But consider another fruit—temperance\. Does temperance naturally come to Christians just because they are filled with the Holy Spirit? No\. Christians still need to discipline themselves when prompted by the Holy Spirit and choose temperance, such as avoiding overeating or getting up in the morning instead of staying in bed\. Similarly, Christians can experience joy through the Holy Spirit but must choose it\. Since joy is chosen through rejoicing and faith, the Holy Spirit brings a flood of grace into our lives, which translates into more joy\. This brings us to our next truth\. ### HOPE IS A CHOICE RELATED TO JOY AND AKIN TO FAITH Spiritual virtues rise and fall together\. When we choose to see the big picture of time and eternity, of the visible and the invisible, which is faith, we will no longer be controlled by immediate circumstances\. When we break free from the bondage of the temporal and see it only as a test we must endure, then we will accept the Gospel\. Through the gospel, we reconcile with our Judge through Christ\. Then we look forward to the day when we will look into the eyes of our Lord\. If we hear “Well done, good and faithful servant,” then all of life will have been worth it\. The vision of the big picture is faith\. Understanding Jesus’ promise of reward and sharing eternal life with Him is hope\. In this way, hope graces our present experience with joy\. But we are humans\. What can we do to reactivate this holy trio of faith, hope, and joy on a daily basis? The following truth is part of the answer to this question\. ### READING BIBLE ACCOUNTS OF OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS GIVES US HOPE AND JOY As humans, we connect with others who lived in similar circumstances, chose godly virtues, and received their reward\. The Old Testament is full of characters who, even though they lived before the Christian era, chose to trust Jehovah despite great odds\. Depending on our station in life, we relate better to one person than another\. These individuals inspire us because, while we may face similar temptations and trials, we cannot see how our circumstances will unfold from our current perspective\. We do not yet have the eternal commentary on our lives and choices\. But deep inside, we know life is bigger than we are\. The principles of sowing and reaping apply to them, and they also apply to us\. If we want to earn the praise of the heroes of faith, we must make the difficult choices in this season called life\. ### THE BENEFITS OF A JOYFUL OUTLOOK When we have a hope and joy, that are harnessed into a positive and cheerful outlook on life, we will reap many rewards\. Some of these are physical\. Generally, people who are happy experience better health\. They avoid many psychosomatic illnesses and other nervous disorders common among complainers and grumblers\. But beyond physical benefits, happy individuals are free to reach out and help others\. Having a life focused outward and upward provides them with resources to assist others even when they have little themselves\. This, in turn, qualifies them for God’s rewards\. ### AVOIDING THE SNARE OF FOOLISHNESS We must reflect a bit on foolishness\. It is often mistaken for cheer or joy because it shows itself with a positive countenance\. People with a sanguine nature might feel they are better than those with a melancholy temperament because they see their nature as closer to a happy disposition\. But foolishness is a counterfeit of true joy\. The more someone indulges in the counterfeit, the less likely they are to experience real happiness\. The Book of Proverbs tells us about its source and the course of foolishness\. The Bible is careful to link foolishness with mouthy, offensive speech, including foolish jesting, prideful rebellion against God’s laws and other authority, sinful choices, and contentious relationships\. If any of these elements are a part of an outgoing temperament, they are foolishness, not Holy Spirit\-given joy\. Saviour, if of Zion’s city I through grace a member am, Let the world deride or pity, I will glory in Thy name: Fading is the worldling’s pleasure, All his boasted pomp and show: Solid joys and lasting treasure, None but Zion’s children know\. John Newton ![Snow\-covered grasses and branches at the edge of woods\.]() ## Magazine citation - [Snow\-covered grasses and branches at the edge of woods\.](): © Brimming Focus Photography