What lies within

What lies behind us and

What lies before us are tiny matters compared to

What lies within us.

 

~Ralph Waldorf Emerson

 

'You (O Lord) have filled my heart with great joy' ~Psalm 4:7a

Although at times interchangeably used, joy is something entirely different from happiness.

A dictionary definition of happiness is 'a state of well-being, a pleasurable or satisfying experience.' The definition of the word 'rejoice', from which our word 'joy' comes, is 'to feel great delight, to welcome or to be glad.'

Joy, in the Biblical context, is not an emotion. Joy is an attitude of the heart; it is not necessarily based on something positive happening. Joy is something that lasts; happiness is something that is temporary and fleeting. When happiness fades away, joy remains.

Joy is something that is bigger than you and I and our current circumstances. Joy brings us peace in the middle of a storm of life. Joy is what God deposits into us when we accept Jesus into our heart, and entrust Him with our life.

Satan tries everything in his power to drown and steal our joy because joy allows us to view and perceive the storms of life with a different perspective. Joy changes our mindset in the face of adversity.

'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose' ~Romans 8:28.

Happiness tends to be fleeting and depends upon temporal factors like circumstances or other people. Joy is true contentment that comes from within. It is internal - the inner attitude of rejoicing in one’s salvation regardless of outward circumstances. It is one of the fruits of a right relationship with God.

  'We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts...' ~Romans 5:2b-5; (Hope in this context is not to be equated with unfounded optimism - it is the assurance of a future with Him in eternity).

The enemy goes about attempting to steal our joy deviously. He provides temptation in things that will temporarily bring happiness, and when acted upon, causes clouds of shame, regret and disappointment to creep in; that he increases, plays on and rejoices in seeing the suffering of consequences. As a result, one's joy is dampened.

'Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life' ~Proverbs 4:23

The heart is at the centre of us, from which spring emotions, thought, motivations, courage, action - it is 'the wellspring of life'.

     'For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks' ~Luke 6:45

What we hide in our heart and what we keep close to our heart is that which our mouth speaks, and that which our life displays:

    'As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man' ~Proverbs 27:19.

Joy is a beautiful thing. True joy is eternal and its source is your relationship with Jesus in knowing, accepting and appreciating that we have been saved from the inevitable agony of eternity in hell for rejecting Him; and thus living our lives accordingly, following what is written in the Bible - not just that, but LOVING and ENJOYING doing so.

He suffered so that we have the choice to choose Him and be spared from suffering in hell for eternity.


LORD Jesus, teach us to enjoy YOU, and revel in Your wonderful gift of salvation, even when difficulty surrounds us and times of trouble overwhelm us. Infiltrate your joy, O Lord, to the deepest part of our heart; may we treasure it and guard it; that our lives might be a celebration of your grace in giving us Christ Jesus.


Amen.