Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
The second fruit of the Holy Spirit is joy, but this is not to be confused with happiness. Biblestudytools.com tells us this:
“The difference between joy and happiness is substantial. We often assume that the fleeting feeling of happiness, giddy laughter, and contentment in the comforts of life is akin to the joy we experience in Jesus. But joy supernaturally sustains our souls in seasons of heartache, injustice, and sorrow. Enduring the valleys of life is nearly impossible without the life-giving fuel of joy in Christ.
There is a big difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is a reaction to something great. Joy is the product of someone great. Let us never forget the difference, nor fail to enjoy both happiness and joy fully on this earth. Jesus died to erase guilt and shame. Every day we come to Him for grace, and He is faithful to give us grace upon grace upon grace. When we are quick to confess and forgive, we can move forward in the freedom of a repentant life in Christ.
Merriam Webster defines happiness as “a state of well-being and contentment; a pleasurable or satisfying experience.” Whereas joy is specifically stated, even in the dictionary, as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires; the expression or exhibition of such emotion.”
The Biblical meaning of joy, in contrast, is not a fleeting feeling with worldly roots. The best personification of Biblical joy is the story of Job. He was stripped of every good thing he had on this earth, but never lost his faith in God. Job knew his experience was unfair, and did not sugarcoat his pain. His conversations with God were frank, yet he never forgot who God was. Job 26:7 says, “He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.”
Joy is rooted in who God is. “The Spirit of God has made me;” Job 33:4 says, “the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Our Father is fair, compassionate, and all-knowing. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. We are wise to pray for our plans to align with His, not just to ask God to bless our intentions. Job possessed the wisdom to know God’s character, and the strong faith to hold onto what he knew to get him through.
That’s the difference between happiness and Biblical joy. Though our lives seem to be falling apart, and we may have every right to fly the victim flag, we instead choose to place our lives in the capable hands of the Father, our Defender. Joy isn’t fleeting, and it doesn’t exit with peachy-keen circumstances. It remains. “The Spirit gives us eyes to see the beauties of Jesus that call joy up out of our hearts,” wrote John Piper.
The difference in the Biblical definition of joy is the source. Worldly possessions, accomplishments, even the people in our lives, are blessings that make us happy and fuel joyfulness. However, the source of all joy, is Jesus. God’s plan from the beginning, the Word made flesh to dwell among us is rock solid, allowing us to navigate difficult situations in the absence of happiness, while sustaining our joy.
Happiness is more of a state of mind, while joy is emotionally rooted in our faith in Christ. Jesus has experienced all pain, physically and emotionally. Pastor Rick Warren is quoted as saying “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.”
Joy allows us perspective to trust God with our daily lives. Happiness is attached to the blessings in our lives. It’s laughter at a funny joke or bliss in accomplishing a goal we’ve worked hard for. We’re happy when our loved ones surprise us, on our wedding day, when our children or grandchildren are born, and when enjoying time with friends or amidst our hobbies and passions.
There is no bell curve to joy like there is happiness. Eventually, we stop laughing. But joy sustains our reactions and fleeting feelings. “Simply put, Biblical joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction because we know that god will use these experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives,” writes Mel Walker for Christinaity.com. Joy allows us the perspective to be grateful and happy, but also to survive trying times by reminding us we’re still loved and cared for no matter what direction our daily life goes. “Happiness is external,” explains Sandra L. Brown, M.A., “It’s based on situations, events, people, places, things and thoughts.”
Trials of many kinds aren’t joyful, themselves. But when we understand who God is, and how He works all things for good, we experience the joy of Christ. Joy trusts in who God is, over our abilities and the complications of this world.
James continued, “because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:3-4). He then goes on to write about wisdom, and asking God for it when we are lacking. Wisdom allows us to wade through trials of many kinds, back to who God is and who we are to Him, and in Christ.
Joy appears more than 200 times in the English Bible, according to David Mathis of Desiring God. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Paul himself tortured Christians before he became one, and then endured all kinds of torture on account of the Gospel. He spoke from experience when he told them to be joyful always, and then he equipped them with how: pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances.
How can we have joy even when we are suffering? “Remembering who God is and what He has done for us in the past, refocusing our thoughts to align with His truth, and choosing to be grateful and praise God – even in tough times – is powerful. It ignites the very Spirit of God living in every believer.
Galatians 5:22-23 reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” We are not able to activate any of those things in any sustaining circumstances without the very Spirit of God in us. He is the source of our joy, which makes it impossible to suppress it.”
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/the-beauty-of-seeking-both-joy-and-happiness-in-christ.html (This is only part of the article. The rest of the article is also well worth reading.)
We can have joy because we trust in God and we know how great God is. We remember who God is, what He has done for us, and we choose to be grateful and praise God. Today is Thanksgiving, and the Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving had very little for which to be grateful. But gratitude sustained the Pilgrims, and they were joyful that they were alive and learning to live in this strange new land, even with all its hardships. The Holy Spirit helped the Pilgrims to be grateful, and He can also help us. Let’s pray.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be grateful for our lives and for Your provision in our circumstances, no matter how difficult they appear to be. Help us to become more grateful each day as we find new things You are doing. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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