Divine Joy Or Just Happiness

Divine Joy or just happiness:

Happiness is the feeling you get when things are going well; it’s based on your circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, is a deep sense of pleasure, delight, gladness, and well-being that is independent of circumstance. Joy flows from a deeply rooted conviction that not only does God cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him; but inherent in joy is the sense of delight in God that can cause our heart to smile even if things on the outside seem to be falling apart.

“Are you relying on happiness, or does your strength come from the joy of the Lord?”

Turn with me to Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [what one likes], but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Joy is a beautiful emotion to experience. It’s the feeling you get when you’re ecstatic about going on vacation, when you’re laughing with friends, or when you’re simply with a loved one.

The biblical definition of joy says that joy is a feeling of good pleasure and happiness that is dependent on who Jesus is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us. Joy comes from the Holy Spirit, abiding in God’s presence and from hope in His word.

Biblical joy can be a confusing thing, especially since it’s something that doesn’t come just in the best of times. Because it is dependent on who Jesus is and God’s presence in us as the Holy Spirit, biblical joy is accessible to us even in the worst of times, and it can never be taken away from us.

This hope in a joy to come isn’t minimizing our pain and suffering that we’re feeling right now. Jesus didn’t endure the cross because it wasn’t excruciating or bearable, but because the thought of not enjoying an eternity with us was out of the question.

This isn’t because we’re all that, it’s because God loves us so much that He was willing to send Jesus to die for us. Now, Jesus is seated at the right hand of God with all authority and all power in His hands.

The salvation he has granted us gives us enough joy to last a lifetime and forevermore, even though we will still face hardship in this life.

Whenever a woman is in labour, she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore, you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

Without biblical joy, we’d be left to rely on circumstances in life to make us happy and bring us joy. That would work out great during family vacations and when things are going our way, but what happens when life gets hard?

We need a joy that we can hold onto no matter what is going on in our lives, a joy that is always accessible to us. That joy is not found anywhere else other than in a relationship with Jesus.

With Jesus, we know that we will be in heaven with Him for eternity, and even while we’re still here on earth, we have the Holy Spirit to help us and bring us joy when we need it.

Even in the hardest, darkest, and most chaotic times of our lives, Jesus is there, and he is offering us true joy because as Christians, we know this world is not our home. We belong with God, and every trial we are facing is nothing compared to the glory that is coming.

Today, we can find true, lasting joy in God’s word and by asking the Holy Spirit for help. Because of this, biblical joy is accessible to us even in the worst of times and is found in having a relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The word “joy” is used 93 times in the O.T. It’s a Hebrew word that means “glee” or “exceeding joy.” God wants you to be joyful! Perhaps, you feel as if you have lost your joy; how do you get your joy back?

- Joy is something God can restore

PSALM 51:12, Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (ESV)

God can cause our heart to smile even if things on the outside seem to be falling apart.

Do you remember when you got saved? You were filled with joy. That same joy is not only available to you today but is God’s will for your life. Every day His desire is that we would know His joy in our hearts in such a way that it becomes obvious to people around us… especially those who live with us!