Daily Devotional, Year 3 – December 13 (The Gospel According To Pollyanna, Part 6: “Don’t Worry, Be Happy? Or Don’t Be Happy, Worry?”)
By admin On February 17th, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – December 13
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The Gospel According To Pollyanna,
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Part 6:
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy? Or Don’t Be Happy, Worry?”
To read Part 1, click here…December 2nd (The gospel according to Pollyanna)
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“Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Psalms 2:11
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THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO POLLYANNA
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That charming 1960 Disneyland movie, Pollyanna, was about a recently orphaned young girl who came to live with her very harsh and judgmental aunt.
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And yet, this happy, lovable, and precocious little girl in that movie, had followed her father’s gospel (a gospel of his own making which eliminated the thousands of seemingly harsher verses found in the Bible).
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And so, the movie tension was somewhat centered on Pollyanna’s happy, “800-verse-judgment-free-religion”, against the sour-faced fire-n-brimstone preaching that her aunt was pushing.
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Pollyanna statue – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
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AN EVEN MORE UPBEAT POLLYANNA
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Now, in the 1973, BBC version, Pollyanna was even more bubbly, more energetic, more positive-minded than Disneyland’s version of Pollyanna.
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Yes, the BBC Pollyanna saw every circumstance in life, good or bad, from a happy and optimistic vantage-point, to the degree of becoming somewhat unrealistic.
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Pollyanna statue – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
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“THEY THAT BE WHOLE NEED NOT A PHYSICIAN, BUT THEY THAT ARE SICK”
Matthew 9:12
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And yesterday’s devotional (click here to read) attempted to present how Christians should deal with unbelievers in regard to their happiness.
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That is, should happiness be the highest goal to be achieved by the people of the world?
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And if the entire world was filled with “happy-go-lucky” people, would anyone ever turn to Jesus for Salvation? Just as Scripture teaches…“And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.” Luke5:31
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Pollyanna statue – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
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“That spirit which now worketh in the children of disobedience”
Ephesians 2:2
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Well, to a certain degree, many people of the world do appear to be pretty happy: lots of joking and jesting and laughing, etc….
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But what we must consider, is that “the god of this world”, Lucifer (currently given the office and title, Satan), “now works in the children of disobedience”. And his chief goal is to make this world as appealing as possible. (2nd Corinthians 4:4 & Ephesians 2:2)
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So, why should it surprise us to see all the gaiety and laughter and fun and happy-go-lucky, carefree behavior so often happening around us?
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After all, the people of this world (and the worldly people in the churches) are indwelt by “the prince of the power of the air, that spirit which now works in the children of disobedience”. Ephesians 2:2
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And so, to sprinkle a little more glitter upon his already deceptive kingdom, his Antichrist spirit working within unsuspecting souls, causes them to appear happy when out in public. And maybe even in private, too!
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Hands Toasting Drinks – Cheers! – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Laughing – (cropped and color added) – Fotothek df roe neg – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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WHAT DEMEANOR SHOULD CHRISTIANS STRIVE FOR?
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But today’s devotional attempts to answer another question: “What kind of emotional outlook should the Christian attempt to maintain? Should Christians be sad and dour and 
depressed, as we suffer through this ugly and hopeless world? Or rather, should we have the same bright, all-positive outlook on life as did Pollyanna?”
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Well, don’t jump to conclusions! Actually, this is a very perplexing question.
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Yes, yes, psychology teaches us that happiness and peace should be our chief goal!
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And yes, the world naturally embraces those who tend to be like Pollyanna, always cheerful and happy-go-lucky.
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Pollyanna statue – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
Sigmund Freud – LIFE – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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But to truly answer this question, God has given us the Bible, which addresses this question extensively.
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So, let’s examine just a few of those relevant verses to see what kind of demeanor we should strive to maintain as Christians…
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Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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“REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAY!”
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The first and most popular passage which a Bible teacher might quote is this…“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
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Now from this above verse, one might conclude that Pollyanna could be an excellent role-model for Christians!
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And even the Apostle Paul gave this admonition…“And He (God) said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I (Paul) rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2nd Corinthians 12:9, 10
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This above statement by Paul only further confirms that Pollyanna was on the right track in her attempt to maintain her all-positive, happy-faced approach to life’s daily circumstances, both good and bad.
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Pollyanna statue – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
Munch Det Syke Barn – 1896 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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“REJOICE WITH TREMBLING!”
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But the Bible has more to say about our joy…“Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” Psalm 2:11
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Here above is an additional element which the Christian should embrace, realizing that we serve an awesome and fearful God!
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In other words, we are not to be presumptuous in any way in our relationship with God. We are to be ever watchful, knowing that the Enemy of Souls is never far away, always looking for an opportunity to rip us apart!
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And, as Isaiah admonishes us…“but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My Word.”
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This pretty much says the same thing as Psalms 2:11. God’s Word is powerful and should be held in highest regard and reverence!
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Pollyanna statue – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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“SORROWFUL, YET ALWAY REJOICING!”
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But the Bible has more to say regarding our demeanor…“As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing;” 2nd Corinthians 6:10
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Here is another deviation from the way that the world operates. Yes, as we go through life in this world, there are many things to be sad about: unsaved family and friends; sickness and pain; trials and temptations; the misery which sin brings, both personally as well as in all the world.
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Yes, these and many other woes will only make life bitter. And yet, the Christian is to live by faith, knowing that our great God will make, “every thing beautiful in His time!” Ecclesiastes 3:11
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Pollyanna statue – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
Munch – Det Syke Barn – 1896 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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WE SERVE A COMPLICATED GOD!
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And so, while we are not to go through life wearing a lobotomized happy-face. Nor are we to be jokers and jesters, like the world so often is.
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But the Good News is, that God has given us the Bible.
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And as long as we still have time to study that wonderful Book, we can sit daily at the feet of Jesus and learn more and more about Him.
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And by so-doing, we will be, day-by-day, changed, imperceptibly, into His glorious image, even as by the Spirit of the Lord! And then, as Paul says, we will be like a book, “known and read by all!” 2nd Corinthians 3:2.
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And as the world reads our “book”, they may behold Jesus in us. And then, instead of merely wanting to be, “happy-go-lucky”, they will realize (by our example), that true inner joy and peace is to be found only in Jesus!
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Pollyanna statue – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Creative Commons 2.0 license
Virtuous Woman with Bible – Braet von Überfeldt – 1866 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, help me to become more and more like Jesus, as I sit at His feet daily and learn of His Ways…
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… JANUARY 10th (How a Joke Killed!), or you may also read…February 1st (In Every Thing Give Thanks!?!
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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Heavenly Mount Zion Constellation
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“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness.
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Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.”
Psalm 48:1, 2
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This above passage sings of Mount Zion, in the sides of the North!
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But if one looks to the Northeast in late Summer and into Fall, there is a constellation which God created to be a heavenly picture of the Heavenly Mount Zion. And it is commonly known as Cassiopeia. But God has created it to symbolize the true Zion, which is in Heaven.
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Listen… “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,” Hebrews 12:22
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…Heavenly Mount Zion Constellation
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TOMORROW…
December 14 (Nature’s Witnesses, Part 13: “An Open Letter To An Atheist Talk Show Host”)
Hand-written letter – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
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THIS IS STUDY #345 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…
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Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain
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Click on image credit links below each photo, for licensing names, details, and tags, etc.. Most Images cropped & reduced in size.