Advice can be solicited or just given away to anyone. One of the best advice givers was my maternal grandfather-my Honey. He did not give unsolicited advice, but waited until you sought it out from him. Honey’s best advice for a joy filled life came from a place of deep faith.
I remember many times my parents seeking his wisdom on different topics. As I grew in age where I began to face decisions, I too sought my Honey for wise advice. My husband and I often would visit Honey in order to seek wisdom from a man who lived through many things and sought his knowledge from God.
Honey gave the best advice on living a joy filled life.
When asked if my husband I should marry at such a young age (20 & 21), he advised that we would be fine if we lived on love. He shared this message of love many times over his lifetime.
As a member of Gideons International, he would often use the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 as an example on how we should live our lives. When facing the world and its many challenges, one was told to love one another as the solution. My grandfather, found his guide in God’s word. The Bible was a tool that guided his life in every decision.
Honey loved many people well. He worked in a grocery warehouse managing truck drivers, he was a small business owner and realtor, he was an author, a preacher of the word, a mayor of a small town, a father, and a husband so my grandfather had a chance to practice what he preached. The love that Honey had for others was beyond the love that man could have it had to be the love that God had for man. Honey would say if we love God first then we would be able to love others with that love.
A joy filled life comes from living a life based on the love of God.
Over these years I have discovered Honey’s secret to that best advice was found in His daily reading and study of God’s word. He was very diligent to read the Word for himself and study his Sunday School lesson. By using a Ryrie Study Bible and other study materials he was prepared to teach his weekly lesson to the group of men he had taught for years. In my own study, I have found my own methods. 5 Must Haves for Hiding God’s Word
The advice I learned from my grandparents and parents was to have a good study Bible, a notebook, a pen then begin to study. For years I used the One Year Bible as a means for my daily study. The only change that I would use is a different color highlighter for a new year. I could distinguish what my new insights were for that year by the color of the ink. In the most recent years, I have discovered The Bible Recap reading plan. The chronological reading and podcast have been an eyeopening insight to my study and joy to my walk with Jesus. Growing in ones walk with Jesus through study leads to growth in our relationship by communication.
The next key is a personal prayer life.
Prayer leads us to itch in our own skin sometimes, but sharing from personal experience prayer is communication. It is talking to God like you are talking to your best friend. When we are in relationship with a friend, we are free to ask questions, to share concerns, ask for help or even call questions where questions are necessary. God wants us to be in that same type of relationship with Him. We have to begin with a simple sentence and talk directly to God.
A final key that in finding a joy filled life is worship.
When we are studying God’s word and communicating with Him in prayer then the natural response is to worship Him.
Psalm 29:2 New International Version (NIV)
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of hisa] holiness.
Our worship is a response to what we know of God. We want to honor and glorify the awesomeness that we come to know and understand in our study and communication. The natural response is praise and worship. David shares in the Psalms his songs of harp and lyre. David was a man after God’s own heart. As I am seeking to have a joy filled life, I find that worship is that natural response like David’s to knowing God.
As we come to know God as our own personal Savior and Lord, our hearts become full of His joy and we are forever changed. The best ways for this are personal Bible study, prayer, and worship. My Honey was a man who knew the love of God, and he gave the best advice for a joy filled life.