Cultivating Joy

Warren Brosi

May 25, 2025

Dominant Thought: Joy overcomes life’s frustrations.

Objectives:

I want my listeners to understand the meaning of joy.

I want my listeners feel joy as a gift from God.

I want my listeners to pursue joyful attitudes and actions no matter the circumstances.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have studied how to become Spirit-filled followers of Jesus. We are studying two sections of Scripture: the fruit of the Spirit from Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia (Galatians 5.22-23) and the Wisdom books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament connected to Solomon—Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.

On Mother’s Day, we saw how wisdom is described as a tree of life. We want to live as wise Christians. The tree of life must bear the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience… Last week, we looked at love from the Song of Songs and saw how Love sings the way to a new world. Proverbs is set in the tone of a father giving advice to his son. Song of Songs is a series of love poems primarily between two young adults. Today, we turn our attention to joy in the book of Ecclesiastes. It is attributed to Solomon, the son of David. Proverbs is written from a father to a son. Song of Songs is between two lovers. Ecclesiastes is written by an older man reflecting on his life.

The main conclusion Solomon gathers from life is the word, “meaningless.” It sounds a lot like the name of Adam and Eve’s younger son, Abel. It means mist, vapor, or smoke. Something that doesn’t last or lasts only a short time. Much like Abel’s life was short, Solomon feels that life is short and meaningless.

And yet, throughout these twelve chapters, we find several descriptions about finding joy in this meaningless life.

The main idea for today is Joy overcomes life’s frustrations. The tone of Ecclesiastes is one of frustration. And yet, what lifts us out of the frustrations of this world is the gift of joy from God.

The Teacher in Ecclesiastes helps us pursue joy that overcomes life’s frustrations in two ways—through our attitudes and our actions.

First, Joy overcomes life’s frustrations through a grateful attitude (Ecclesiastes 2.24-26; 3.12, 22; 5.19).

A common theme you’ll find in Ecclesiastes is recognizing the gifts of God. In Ecclesiastes 2.24-25, “This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment.”

In Ecclesiastes 2.26, “To the person who please Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness.” The word for happiness is better understood as “joy.”

In Ecclesiastes 3, we encounter the beautiful poem, “There’s a time for everything.” In that poem we read about “a time born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” In Ecclesiastes 3.11, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has set eternity in the human heart.”

Then, we read, “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy/joyful and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 3.12-13).

Solomon speaks about the toil of work many times in Ecclesiastes. He may be lamenting the curse of the ground from Genesis 3.17, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it.”

Solomon may speak of the meaningless of life because of the curse of sin.

Fred Craddock tells the follow story about a time when he was young (Craddock Stories, p. 98).

               I recall when I was a youngster and had, for a long period of time, malaria. I turned yellow and sweaty, took quinine, and was quarantined. Nobody could come in the house, and I couldn’t go outside. All the other kids and my brothers and my sisters were out playing, and I was confined to the house and feeling miserable. On one occasion I suppose I was whining a little too much, and my father came into the room, and he told me two things.

               The first thing was, there is no way to modulate the human voice to make a whine acceptable. The second thing he said to me was, even if you spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair or in bed, it can be a full and good life. What was he talking about? How is that possible? It is possible because you become the temple of God in which God lives and gives abundant life and joy to you and me.

We don’t get to choose the circumstances and situations of life, but we can choose our response. When we receive a joyful attitude as a gift from God, then we can meet suffering with joy.

Job, a key person in the wisdom tradition of the Hebrew Bible, lost everything he owned and all his children. God spared his wife who told Job, “Curse God and die” (Job 2.9). Job responded to the calamities of his life, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1.21).

Job understood all of life is a gift from God. Solomon understood that there is nothing better than to rejoice in the work God has given to us.

Ecclesiastes 3:22 ESV

So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?

In Ecclesiastes 5.19, we see joy as a gift from God. “Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them to accept their lot and be happy/joyful in their toil—this is a gift from God” (Eccl. 5.19).

When you can see joy as a gift from God, then your attitude has reason to celebrate and rejoice.

Second, Joy overcomes life’s frustrations through intentional actions (Ecclesiastes 5.20; 8.15; 9.7-9).

In Ecclesiastes 5.20, Solomon writes, “God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” How’s our heart? As we think about this list of the fruit of Spirit, “love, joy, peace...”, these traits are from the heart. It’s something God cultivates in our heart.

In Ecclesiastes 8.15, Solomon commends enjoyment of life...joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of their life God has given them under the sun.

As followers of Jesus, we can show the world the joy of our Savior through the gifts of God and the struggles and sufferings of life.

Listen to the words of Jesus.

Luke 6:22–23 NIV

Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

We can experience joy in the midst of suffering and challenges. It is a choice we make.

Fred Craddock tells the following story (Craddock Stories, p. 94).

I recall some years ago in a church I was visiting on a Sunday afternoon, a van pulled up in the church parking lot, and a bunch of young people got out.  They looked like thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, maybe up to eighteen years old. I think there were ten or twelve young people who belonged to that church. They got out with bedrolls. It was the awfullest looking bunch of kids you’ve ever seen, something like the cats would drag in. They were really in bad shape. I said, “What’s this?” They had just returned from a work mission. They named the place where they went. In one week, those young people, along with other young people, had built a little church for a community. They were beat. Aw, they looked terrible.

               They were sitting on their bags out there waiting for their parents to come. I said to one of the boys, I said, “You tired?” And he said, “Whew – am I tired!” Then he said, “This is the best tired I’ve ever felt.”

               Now that’s what joy is. Do you feel that? “This is the best tired I’ve ever felt.” I hope some day young people in this church get that tired. I hope we all get that tired. The best tired there is, is called in your Bible, joy.

In Ecclesiastes 9.7, Solomon commands, “eat your food with gladness/joy.” Then, he says, “Enjoy life with your wife...” (Ecclesiastes 9.7). Have you had a good meal with friends or family lately? I’m thankful for the times we get to be around the dinner table as a family. Meal times are special times. It is a time to rejoice or celebrate. You can talk about your day and work through the ups and downs. The very food we eat is a gift from God.

How about your relationships? To those who are married, are you cultivating a joyful relationship with your spouse. If not, then what steps can you take to enjoy your marriage?

Here’s a list of areas we can cultivate joy:

1-Meals

2-Family

3-Work

4-Suffering

5—Worship

Hebrews 12:1–3 NIV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Jesus endured the cross, scorned its shame because joy was on His mind and in His heart. Joy overcomes life’s frustrations. The joy not of Jesus not only overcame the frustrations of life, but the failures of life. The joy of Jesus rescued us from our sins, from our selfish attitudes, and self destruction.

May we set our eyes on Jesus and allow His Holy Spirit to fill us with joy for His glory and the good of those around us.