Joy. Wow. What a day to talk about joy. Let's contrast: I'm not happy today. This has been a hard day. Strife with my daughter, feeling frustrated with the baby, miscommunicating with my wife so that something that should have been a huge deal has turned out to be smaller than she wanted...
Wow. What a failed night on my part. And believe me, there is more. However, that just shows why I'm not happy. But it has NOTHING to do with Galatians 5:22. That is because the 2nd listed result of the Spirit in our lives is joy; not happiness!
Difference? Here is something I found in a commentary tonight. Joy is more intense than happiness and is not, like it, dependent upon outward circumstances or happenings. The difference may be illustrated by a river that flows steadily and continuously onward as compared with the transient hillside torrents produced by cloudbursts. There is no joy to compare with that which flows from a deep, rich and sweet communion with JESUS CHRIST.
How amazing. I also love that joy also gives the idea of a choice, verses happiness which is an outpouring of our emotions. Emotions have their place, but joy will last where emotions don't come in to play or when they betray us.
I don't have to be happy tonight to be joyful. Why? One quick example: God reminded me that he of his justice tonight!
When I wasn't being frustrated and down-right irritating tonight, Pam and I talked about God and his being all-powerful. About how cool it is that this doesn't mean that he can do anything, but rather than he can do anything he chooses to do...which will never contradict his character or be irrational.
15 minutes later, Maya K (who had been reading when Pam and I talked about all of that) asked me what things God couldn't do, besides sin. (That stinker was listening even while reading....) So, the first thing that came to my mind was that God will never keep someone out of heaven who has accepted God's gift of salvation because Christ's blood paid for our sin and God is just.
Wow. What a moment. To understand that no matter how hard my circumstance is, I can always rejoice (have joy) in the fact that I know that God is just and that this justice now works FOR me and not against me because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
However, so that you don't get the wrong impression; joy also allows us to be "happy" more often because we can make the choice to see our circumstances in light of God's love for us which will eventually help to shape our wayward emotions. Remember, though, that this is a result of the Spirit working in our lives and not something we are trying to attain on our own. It is God who works in us!
To God be the glory!
Wow. What a failed night on my part. And believe me, there is more. However, that just shows why I'm not happy. But it has NOTHING to do with Galatians 5:22. That is because the 2nd listed result of the Spirit in our lives is joy; not happiness!
Difference? Here is something I found in a commentary tonight. Joy is more intense than happiness and is not, like it, dependent upon outward circumstances or happenings. The difference may be illustrated by a river that flows steadily and continuously onward as compared with the transient hillside torrents produced by cloudbursts. There is no joy to compare with that which flows from a deep, rich and sweet communion with JESUS CHRIST.
How amazing. I also love that joy also gives the idea of a choice, verses happiness which is an outpouring of our emotions. Emotions have their place, but joy will last where emotions don't come in to play or when they betray us.
I don't have to be happy tonight to be joyful. Why? One quick example: God reminded me that he of his justice tonight!
When I wasn't being frustrated and down-right irritating tonight, Pam and I talked about God and his being all-powerful. About how cool it is that this doesn't mean that he can do anything, but rather than he can do anything he chooses to do...which will never contradict his character or be irrational.
15 minutes later, Maya K (who had been reading when Pam and I talked about all of that) asked me what things God couldn't do, besides sin. (That stinker was listening even while reading....) So, the first thing that came to my mind was that God will never keep someone out of heaven who has accepted God's gift of salvation because Christ's blood paid for our sin and God is just.
Wow. What a moment. To understand that no matter how hard my circumstance is, I can always rejoice (have joy) in the fact that I know that God is just and that this justice now works FOR me and not against me because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
However, so that you don't get the wrong impression; joy also allows us to be "happy" more often because we can make the choice to see our circumstances in light of God's love for us which will eventually help to shape our wayward emotions. Remember, though, that this is a result of the Spirit working in our lives and not something we are trying to attain on our own. It is God who works in us!
To God be the glory!
No comments:
Post a Comment