Happiness
- Happiness is temporary .
- Happiness is conditional .
- Happiness is often based on circumstances and possessions .
Joy
Joy is not based on my circumstances .
9 We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but
we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 10 Our
hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual
riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.
2 Corinthians 6:9-10 NLT
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way,
consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is
tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your
endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing
nothing. James 1:2-4 NLT
Joy is not based on possessions .
6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we
brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take
anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing,
let us be content . 1 Timothy 6:6-8 NLT
There is nothing wrong with owning stuff . The problem is when stuff owns
you .
Joy is produced by the Holy Spirit .
17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living
a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 If you serve Christ
with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too .
Romans 14:17-18 NLT
Happiness is a feeling driven by the temporary fix.
Joy is a mindset empowered and produced by the Holy Spirit.
- God is all about eternal things .
- We are more focused on temporal things .
God placed His Holy Spirit inside you so that you can have more than
just happiness .
- The Holy Spirit – The presence of God living in you.
- The Holy Spirit is the source of joy .
- The Holy Spirit produces what we really need .
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.
There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
Joy allows you to smile in the middle of a storm or in the middle of a
pandemic .
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians
5:16-18 NLT
Next Steps for me today…
- Realize that God wants more for me .
- Allow God to change my thinking that will change my