2. He even tells us that we’ll “leap for joy” (Luke 6:23).
3. Paul explains that the Holy Spirit will produce a lasting joy inside of us (Galatians 5:22-23), making it a key trait of our faith.
4. That’s why he can confidently tell the Philippians to be “full of joy in the Lord” (Phil. 4:4) and the Thessalonian church to “be joyful always” (1 Thes. 5:16).
12. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. (1 Thes. 1:6)
20. When my friend gets laid off, is he supposed to “immediately give thanks to God?
21. Is my cousin supposed to welcome his cancer and painful treatments as friends?
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23. Donning a fedora and a leather jacket, we memorize James 1:2 and become bent on being joyful in a crisis.
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27. Happiness is a sound bite that does not last, while joy is like a pleasing chorus that can’t be stopped.
28. “There is no happiness, there are only moments of happiness” goes an old Spanish proverb. In contrast, joy combines both – a constant presence of God inside of me sprinkled with moments of genuine delight.
29. Time is the archenemy of happiness, but it’s joy’s best friend.
30. By its nature, happiness is impatient. On the other hand, Joy can afford to wait. It knows it has eternity to enjoy.
31. Happiness depends on circumstances, but joy is independent of anything that happens to me.
32. Happiness draws me inward to my own personal fulfillment and fills me with more of myself. Joy fills me with more of Christ and turns me outward to Christ and the world around me.
39. The sad and the glad. Trials are not the only experiences engineered and used by God, but happy ones are too. <br />Happiness is seen as a gift to delight in when it comes, but not depend upon. <br />Joy serves as the constant presence of God flowing through us through good times and bad .<br /> [Slide]<br />To paraphrase Chesterton: we are like deathless people in an endless tale of joy. <br />* * * <br />Live strong on our own strength and will? <br />Or “live joy” powered by the nature of God flowing through us? <br />The choice is yours. The choice is mine. <br /> <br />