Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:1-3 (NKJV)
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:1-3 (NKJV)
(This is Pt 7 of 8 –
Turning the Tide – Representing God to a World that Misrepresents
Him)
Happiness and joy. These are two words with similar meaning, and
in fact, joy in its definition has the word ‘happiness’ in it. I used to believe in essence they were
interchangeable even into my early days as a Christian. However, that has changed. One of my Christian mentors taught me that I
should strive for joy and not happiness.
I did not understand why then, but today, the difference is clear in my head
and heart. I mentioned in a previous
devotion that happiness is the feeling you have when something good is going
on. Joy, however, is lasting
satisfaction that is continuous and never ending. Joy is the knowledge that God is with you
always, and happiness is the temporary feeling one has for only a fleeting
moment. Thus, one can still have joy
when times are bad but not happiness.
We as Christians should have joy
knowing God is always with us. Today’s
verses focuses on the word ‘joyful.’
There is a saying in the church that though we may have darkness in our
life, joy comes in the morning. I never
quite understood that saying, but having studied the Bible more, it makes
sense. If Jesus Christ represents light
(i.e. The Way, The Truth, and The Light), then ‘morning’ in that phrase
signifies light for He said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12b) The world focuses on the pursuit of
happiness, but God shows us there is a better way. We can have a light within us that cannot be either
diminished or taken. The world’s
promises are only temporary much like happiness is. God promises joy in our lives; a feeling that
is everlasting and without fail.
There can truly be no joy without
God. Though there may be times in our
lives where we have happiness, joy never ceases. Milestones and accomplishments come and go,
but through Jesus Christ, we are always blessed and thankful of those things
that God has brought in our lives. How
can you find the joy that God instilled in you?
How will you seek joy above happiness?
In a world that looks for happiness that is consistently momentary, my
prayer is that we focus on the light of Jesus Christ, which will show the world
a never ending happiness called joy.
Amen.
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