Friday, October 10, 2014

Joy Vs. Happiness

Psalm 28:7,"The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving."

Webster defines Joy as: the state of well-being or contentment. 

Happiness: a pleasurable or satisfying experience.  

Joy is a state of being. We have joy based in what we know. Psalm 32:2," Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!"  

Psalm 34:5, 8,"Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!"

Happiness is momentary and fleeting. It is based on our circumstances. We can have joy in the midst of hard times because our hope and source of peace never cease. 

Habakkuk 3:17-18,"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!" 

2 Corinthians 6:10a,"Our hearts ache, but we always have joy."

1 Peter 1:6(NET),"This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials."

Happiness will come and go, but joy will last for a lifetime if we take our eyes off what we see and focus on what we don't see. 2 Corinthians 4:18,"So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."

No comments:

Post a Comment