Welcome to Running: A FEVER. This is a show about fitness, diet, and medicine. I’m Michael Davis. My goal is to live a long, healthy, happy, active life right up to the very end. If that’s your goal too, then you’re in the right place. Come on along, we’ll get there together.
We have spent hundreds of episodes on exercise, healthy food and dieting, various medical issues, and longevity. These are parts of my goal: long, healthy, happy, and active. But I’m not sure we’ve ever done an episode about the happy part. If we have, I’m sure I can count them on the fingers of one hand. But that’s what we’re doing this week.
I said I would probably read some books on happiness, and I’ve read my first one, “12 Habits of Truly Happy Christians,” by David Jeremiah. I heard about it on a Christian radio show. It’s aimed primarily at Christians. It contains many references to the Bible. But there are some bits and pieces that can be valuable to anyone wanting to live a better, more joyful life. If you want the book, it’s available for donation of any size to the ministry of Turning Point. I’ll have a link in the blog post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/410:
https://www.davidjeremiah.org/resources/12-habits-of-truly-happy-christians?srsltid=AfmBOoov1_durOFIrx7zMAP_OgdWkXQYLIX4q8EG-EHIgMzaLWa4yxVC
I’m going to share a bit of David’s wisdom from the book as a way of reviewing it for you.
1. The first habit is the Hallelujah Habit. This is all about worship and praising God, whether you do that in church, or singing in your car, in prayerful solitude, or meditation. It’s about having a worshipful attitude towards God. This brings happiness by changing our focus from our own worries and problems to the everlasting goodness of the Supreme Being. You can praise God through memorization and internalization of scripture. These thoughts remain with you. You can praise God through visual reminders, such as a sticky note on your bathroom mirror, a holy card on your desk at work, or a Bible quote fixed magnetically to your refrigerator. This brings you back to God throughout your busy day. You can praise God in a group of friends, sharing worship and praise.
2. Adopt a “Darling” Disposition. The word “Darling” refers to Lord Darlington, a character in the movie “Remains of the Day,” which examines the life of his servant Stevens. In Mark 9:35, Jesus calls each of us to be a “servant of God.” We fear that, like Stevens, we must give up our personal lives to be a servant. Jesus said, “The first shall last and the servant of all.” He did not say that wanting to do something great in life is a bad thing, only that the true path to greatness (thus happiness) in God’s Kingdom is in being a servant of all. Jesus came into the world in a poor family and ultimately gave his life in service to the world. “He is the ultimate model of a true servant leader.” We can directly serve God through worship. We can serve our families, love and respect our spouses, and train our children. Surprise someone by doing one of their chores. We serve our church community by helping those in need among us. When we serve others, we serve Christ as well.
3. Find the Sinai Frequency. Dr. Jeremiah never explains what he means by calling it the Sinai Frequency. Mount Sinai in Egypt, and is considered to be the place where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. But the habit involves being silent and connecting with God, or being on the same frequency in order to communicate with him. Go to the quietest place you can find, and sit with God. Listen and enjoy His presence. He wants to be close to us. That’s the meaning of life for those who believe in God–to find a path to God and take it to be closer to Him.
4. Leave a Paper Trail. Winston Churchill said, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Our journey as Christians continues throughout life. We can learn from the history of what God is doing and has done in our lives, but we have to remember it to learn from it. It’s easy to forget how we were with God at a particular time and place. Writing a journal is a way to record the history of our relationship with God. The Bible is such a record, and is a good example for us to follow. Prophets and Apostles wrote about their experiences with God and Jesus; as a result, we can learn from them even thousands of years later. Your journal may help others someday as well. But right now it can help you recall the happiness you felt when God was working in your life, and realize he still is, which is cause to be happy. It can also track your progress in your own faith journey. If you are honest, you can learn from your successes and mistakes as well. You can start forming this habit by writing a journal entry every day for a month.
5. Get It Together. Children of God are like brothers and sisters in the family. When we experience Christian fellowship, we help others, and they help us. We minister to each other. We serve each other. We encourage one another. We are one in the body of Christ. Some ways to practice Christian fellowship are: get involved in your church, teach a class, serve as an usher or greeter, offer a ride to who cannot drive, if you have the gift of music, share it, participate in mission trips, invite a single person to your home for a meal. There are many more ways to bless others by sharing in fellowship. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.” That joy is what we’re all seeking.
6. Throw It in Gear. “Living a full throttle, fully engaged life is a joy!” Put your body, mind, and soul into whatever you’re doing. We have a short time on this earth, and we need to make the most of it. Martin Luther King Jr said, “If it falls your lot to sweep streets in life, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets like Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well.'” After a day of giving your all in work, relationship, and service to God, you can rest in the satisfaction that you gave everything you had that day. Don’t “ride the clutch” in life. “Pursue an abundant, full-throttle life with Christ and make a difference in the lives of those around you.”
Well, we’re about halfway through the show, and I’d like to remind you, YouTube listeners and viewers, to please like this episode and subscribe. Ninety percent of our viewers are not currently subscribed. Adding yourself to our list of subscribers doesn’t cost you anything, but it helps us be more visible in searches and reach more people. Now, back to “Happy Habits.”
7. Be a Little “Extra.” Helping others brings happiness to the giver of help. Doing something for someone with no expectation of return is in itself a reward to the doer. Give a restaurant server or Uber driver an extra-large tip. Pay for the person behind you at the drive-through window. Smile at the cashier at the grocery store. Bring in the trash cans from the curb for your neighbor. Write a letter or card to a prisoner. Listen to people. Take young children to a senior facility so that residents can experience their joy. Give generously to charity or your church. Pray for blessings for others, especially those who frustrate you. You are doing Christ’s work. In Matthew 25, Jesus says, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Choose to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others. Then look for opportunities to bless someone you may not know.
8. Win with Words. Encouragement makes all the difference in the world. In World War II, Winston Churchill’s optimism and stubborn hope led Great Britain to survival. Everyone who does anything noteworthy has at least one cheerleader gifted with hope, faith, and a can-do attitude. You can be that person in someone else’s life. Encouragement comes from gratitude in your own life. Be thankful to God for your health, your vision, the place where you live, your family, your friends, your car, and your mobility. Once you start making a list, you’ll find it gets even longer than this. Take your blessings to someone else and be their faith and hope. By living with this attitude, you will encourage others.
9. Let the Good Times Roll. Eat, drink, and be merry! God calls us to enjoy what we have. The secular world takes this to mean to live it up, because you could die anytime. But when God is in your life, everything is enhanced. And don’t forget to be grateful for God’s gifts to you. Instead of complaining about what’s wrong with your job, be happy that you have been given a job. All these things you are thankful for are ways to enjoy life. Proverbs 17 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Be thankful for what you have. Don’t worry about things you can’t control. Enjoy God’s gifts.
10. Multiply Divine Dividends. Life is a God-given gift. We are servants of God and owe him our time, talents, and treasure. Everything comes from God and is to be used for his glory. Look at your stewardship of your time. Life is short. Psalm 39 says, “Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor”. Make the most of every opportunity to touch someone’s life by showing love, encouragement, or help. Everyone has a talent. Use your talent to bless others. God has a way of multiplying our acts of kindness in ways we sometimes never know. Take one person at a time and share your gift with them. And treasure. That’s a tough one. But God owns our money. We merely possess it. The tithe was established in the Old Testament. This should come first, before we make any other commitments for our treasure. We are stewards of what we possess. We manage it for God, who is the ultimate owner. We must be faithful to him in our stewardship. As you give of your time, talent, and treasure, so will blessings be given to you.
11. Write to the Heart. Copy scripture in your own handwriting. This is something most people have never tried. But there is something about writing that is different from merely reading. Some call this “Deus Machina” or “God in the Machine.” New details stick out. Phrases you may have skimmed over for years will jump out at you. The word of God flows into the paper and into your heart. Carry the word of God with you. Commit to it. “You will learn to fear God in a fresh way, to obey Him with greater joy, to treat others with newfound respect, and to avoid even the smallest sin.” Find a place where you can concentrate, and ask God to give you insights into His Word. Consider the scripture as you write it. Start with a passage that is special to you, and decide to practice this every day. Writing scripture down will help you internalize it and carry it with you throughout your life.
12. Be Well-Versed. Words are all around us. In texts, emails, people talking around us in a crowded restaurant, on the radio, and on streaming video. In the gospel of John, Jesus is referred to as “the Word.” Sorting out the good words from all the rest that we hear and see is a challenge. God speaks to us through His Word, so we must make knowing it a priority. Let God speak to you through the written word, and keep it with you always by memorizing parts of scripture. Begin with a favorite verse. If you are an auditory learner, say it out loud or listen to a recording of it. If you are a visual learner, make a picture or a list. Study scripture before going to bed so that it will solidify in your mind as you sleep. There is no greater treasure to keep in your heart than the Word of God.
Finally, Jesus’ prescription for happiness is in the Beatitudes, which are found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Substitute the word “happy” for the word “blessed.”
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad.” Well, that’s what this whole thing is about, isn’t it? I won’t go into detail on the Beatitudes. You can find more about them in the book if you choose to get it.
So what’s my final opinion? It’s good. I happen to be a Christian, so it does apply to me. But it seems like less of a “how to be happy” book and more of a “how to be a good Christian” book. He doesn’t do a good job of relating each of the habits to happiness.
I’m sure there will be more episodes on happiness. That’s certainly my intention, as it’s an important part of my goal that I haven’t discussed much on the show. I hope you got something from this episode. And remember, if you have the fever, keep it burning. And if you don’t, catch the fever, and I’ll see you next time on Running: A FEVER.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Sinai-mountain-Egypt
Jeremiah, David. 12 Habits of Truly Happy Christians. Turning Point, 2024.