Happy \ˈha-pē\: feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of
your life, situation, etc.
Joy \ˈjȯi\: a source or cause of great happiness
As you can see by the definitions... there is a distinct
difference between happiness and joy. HAPPINESS is temporary and is
caused by temporary things or temporary situations and JOY is the source
of happiness. The Lord wants to fill us with JOY! He doesn't want to
just give us a temporary happiness that is able to dwindle away with every bad
or hard situation we go through. He wants to fill us with SUCH JOY that
when we go through difficult, hard, or uncomfortable situations we can search
deep inside of us and find and unending JOY that He has filled us with
that helps us get through those situations.
It says in Nehemiah that THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR
STRENGTH! His joy is literally our strength. Strength to withstand
life, strength to overcome, strength to be diligent, strength to stand firm in
your beliefs, and strength to live a life fully committed to the ways of the
Lord. His JOY is our strength.
Today... choose JOY! We shouldn't
let ourselves get caught up in the things of life that cause temporary
happiness or a high that only lasts weeks, days, or even hours. Choose The Lord
and when you choose Him... sorrow may last for the night but JOY comes
in the morning.
This post is so beautiful! I love that you have described the difference between joy and happiness!
ReplyDeletexo TJ
http://www.hislittlelady.com
Thank you so much! It was something I felt God spoke to me about not just finding temporary happiness in things but finding JOY in Him... and that last forever :)
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