JOY​—Na Character Wey God Dey Give Us

EVERYBODY like to happy. But for this last days, all of us dey face wahala wey no easy to bear. (2 Tim. 3:1) Person fit no treat us well, we fit dey sick, we fit no get work, our person fit die, or something fit dey worry us for mind. All this things fit make our joy go down. Even people wey dey serve God fit face problem wey go make dem no happy, and their joy fit dey go down small small. If this kind thing don happen to you, wetin you go do to get joy again?

Before we answer this question, e good make we know wetin joy really mean. And we go still talk about how some people no let their joy go down, even when dem face wahala. After that one, we go talk about how we fit continue to get joy, and even increase our joy.

WETIN BE JOY?

Person fit dey happy or dey laugh, but that one no mean sey e get joy. For example, person wey don drink fit dey laugh anyhow. But when the drink clear for im eye, e go stop to dey laugh. E fit start to dey think about im problem again. So the laugh wey e dey laugh that time no mean sey e really get joy.​—Prov. 14:13.

Joy na character wey dey come from person heart. Joy na how person dey feel when good thing happen to am, or when e dey expect good thing. So whether things good or bad, person wey get joy dey happy for inside. (1 Thess. 1:6) Something fit happen wey no make us happy but we fit still get joy. For example, dem flog Jesus apostles because dem dey tell people about Jesus. But Bible tell us sey: “Dem comot from where the Sanhedrin dey. Dem dey happy as dem dey go because God give dem the chance to suffer for Jesus name.” (Acts 5:41) Na the beating give dem joy? No. Dem get joy because dem do wetin Jehovah want even though sey dem suffer dem.

Dem no dey born person with joy and person no fit get am by imself. Why e be like that? Na because joy na part of the character wey God holy spirit dey help us get. God spirit dey make us get “the new character,” and joy na part of am. (Eph. 4:24; Gal. 5:22) And when we get joy, we go fit bear the problem wey we get.

EXAMPLE WEY WE FIT COPY

The bad bad things wey we dey see today no be wetin God want for us. When God make this earth, e get am for mind make good things dey happen. But even though sey bad things dey happen, e no dey affect Jehovah joy. Bible tell us sey: “Power and joy dey” where Jehovah dey. (1 Chron. 16:27) Apart from that one, the better things wey Jehovah servant dey do dey make ‘mind sweet’ am.​—Prov. 27:11.

We go fit copy Jehovah example if we no dey worry ourself too much when things no happen the way we want am. Make we no allow that one make us no get joy again. Instead, make we put mind for the better things wey we get. And make we use better mind wait for the better things wey dey front.a

Bible still talk about many people wey no let their joy go down even when dem face wahala. Abraham na one of dem. Abraham face some problem wey put im life for danger, and other people still cause wahala for am. (Gen. 12:10-20; 14:8-16; 16:4, 5; 20:1-18; 21:8, 9) But all this wahala no make Abraham stop to get joy. Wetin help am? E put mind for the time wey e go live for paradise. That time, Jesus go dey rule this earth. (Gen. 22:15-18; Heb. 11:10) Jesus talk sey: “Abraham wey be una papa happy well well sey e go see my day.” (John 8:56) How we fit copy Abraham example? Na if we dey think about the things wey we go enjoy for front.​—Rom. 8:21.

Paul and Silas be like Abraham. Dem put mind for wetin God promise. The two of dem get strong faith. Paul and Silas face some problem, but that one no make dem stop to get joy. For example, dem beat dem well well and put dem for prison. But Bible tell us sey for “midnight, Paul and Silas come dey pray and dem come dey sing dey praise God.” (Acts 16:23-25) Another thing wey give dem joy be sey, dem suffer dem because of Jesus name. How we fit take copy their example? Na when we put mind for the good things wey go happen if we no leave Jehovah.​—Phil. 1:12-14.

We get many brothers and sisters today wey don show us better example. Dem no stop to get joy even when dem dey face wahala. For example, our brothers suffer when one heavy breeze wey dem dey call Super Typhoon Haiyan, blow for November 2013 for Philippines. E pass 1,000 Jehovah Witness family wey this breeze scatter their house. E get one brother wey im house dey one city wey dem dey call Tacloban, im name na George. The heavy breeze scatter im house reach ground. The brother talk sey: “Upon all this things wey happen, the brothers for here dey happy. E dey hard me to explain the kind joy wey we get.” If we dey think about the good things wey Jehovah don do for us, and we value am, e go help us get joy even when we dey face serious wahala. Make we see other things wey Jehovah don do for us wey go help us get joy.

THINGS WEY DEY GIVE US JOY

The number one thing wey dey give us joy na the friendship wey we get with Jehovah. Think am: Jehovah na the Person wey high pass for heaven and earth. Na im be our Papa, our God, and our Friend!​—Ps. 71:17, 18.

We still dey happy sey Jehovah give us life and e make us to fit enjoy am. (Eccl. 3:12, 13) As Jehovah draw us come im side, we come understand wetin e want for us, and we know how we go take live our life. (Col. 1:9, 10) So our life make sense, and we know wetin God get for mind for us. But many people no know why God make human being. For Bible, apostle Paul show how we take different from this people. E sey: “‘Eye never see, and ear never hear. And nobody don ever think for im heart the things wey God don arrange for people wey love am.’ [But] God don use im spirit show us this things.” (1 Cor. 2:9, 10) As we understand wetin Jehovah want for us, and the reason why e make us, this one dey give us joy.

Jehovah don still do other things for us. For example, e dey forgive us when we sin. And this one dey make us happy. (1 John 2:12) Jehovah give us hope sey we go get life wey no go end for front. (Rom. 12:12) Even now, Jehovah don give us plenty brothers and sisters wey love us and wey dey follow us serve am. (Ps. 133:1) Bible still promise us sey Jehovah go protect us from Satan and im demons. (Ps. 91:11) If we dey always think about all this better things, we go get more joy.​—Phil. 4:4.

WETIN YOU GO DO TO GET MORE JOY?

Person fit add join the joy wey e get? Jesus tell us the answer. E sey: “I don tell una this things so that my joy go dey with una, and una joy go full.” (John 15:11) Wetin Jesus talk show sey we fit get more joy. Just as firewood dey make fire burn well, na so God spirit dey make us get more joy. So, if you want get more joy, make you continue to pray to Jehovah make e give you holy spirit. Na holy spirit dem take write Bible. So another thing wey go give us more joy, na to dey think about the things wey we dey learn from Bible.​—Ps. 1:1, 2; Luke 11:13.

Another thing wey go make you get more joy, na to dey do things wey dey make Jehovah happy. (Ps. 35:27; 112:1) Why e be like that? Na because God make us to dey do wetin e want. Bible sey make we “fear the true God and do everything wey e talk, because na wetin God want make person do be that.” (Eccl. 12:13) So to serve Jehovah, na im dey make person happy pass for life.b

WETIN WE GO GAIN IF WE GET JOY?

We go gain other things as we dey try to get the joy wey God spirit dey make person get. For example, Jehovah go like us well well if we dey serve am with joy no matter the problem wey we get. (Deut. 16:15; 1 Thess. 5:16-18) Another thing be sey, if we get real joy, we no go dey pursue money and property. Instead, we go ready to leave some of the things wey we like so that we go fit put God Kingdom as the number one thing for our life. (Matt. 13:44) When we see the good things wey dey come out of wetin we do, we go dey get more joy. Wetin we do go make belle sweet us and e go make other people happy.​—Acts 20:35; Phil. 1:3-5.

E get one man wey dey study science matter for University of Nebraska for United States. After this man look wetin other people write about health matter, e talk sey: “If person dey happy with im life now, e go fit still make im body strong as time dey go.” Bible still talk this kind thing. E sey: “If person get joy for im heart, this one na good medicine.” (Prov. 17:22) So if you get more joy, e fit make your body strong.

We don see sey we fit get joy wey dey last, even though sey wahala full everywhere. If we dey pray to Jehovah, dey study Bible, and dey think about wetin we learn, God go give us im holy spirit wey go help us get joy. Another thing wey go help us na to dey put mind for the better things wey Jehovah dey do for us. E still good make we copy the example of people wey get faith, and make we ready to do wetin Jehovah want. If we do all this things, we go see sey wetin Psalm 64:10 talk na true. That place talk sey: “Belle go sweet good people well well because of Jehovah. And dem go run go meet am to protect dem.”