Daily Devotional
Laughter - A Merry Heart

October 17, 2017

In Luke 6:21 Jesus is looking at people who are downtrodden and sorrowful. He says, "Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh." Jesus said, "Ye shall laugh." Yes, there's a time to weep, but my dear friend, you had better put some laughter in your home, especially when times get tough.

A merry heart is the ability to capture and enjoy those wonderful times of life and let them turn to laughter. A merry heart is the sign of happiness. Now, happiness and joy are not the same thing, but they are first cousins. Joy is that constant presence of God no matter what happens, but a merry heart is the ability to capture and enjoy those wonderful times of life and let them turn to laughter.

Your sense of humor is a gift from God. It has been psychologically documented that laughter along with a well-rounded sense of humor is a sure sign of intelligence. I’m not talking about unwholesome laughter or cheap, coarse, degrading humor. The Bible warns against that (see Ephesians 5:4). But good, wholesome laughter is a gift from God.

God gave Abraham and Sarah a little child and told Sarah to name him Isaac, which means laughter. "And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that will hear will laugh with me." (Genesis 21:6) They laughed at what God did when He gave that home a little boy who brought such joy. Abraham Lincoln said, "God must have meant for us to laugh, or else He would not have made so many mules, parrots, monkeys, and human beings." God wants us to laugh.