Count It All Joy!

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Today's Passage: James 1:1-8
Memory Verse: James 1:3

Joy: of great delight; the source or cause of keen pleasure. Many confuse it with "being happy". However, being happy has nothing to do with having joy. For instance, almost anything, depending on how you're feeling at the time, can make you happy. In its defense, happiness feels really good.....while you're feeling it. It is the immediate response to a positive occurrence. The problem is, it doesn't usually last very long, does it?

Joy, on the other hand, is more sustaining. It doesn't have to have somebody like it, or pay it attention. Joy doesn't have to have money or flashy possessions. As a matter of fact, joy is NOT situational at all. It's not even an emotion. Joy is a lifestyle. It's an assurance. You see, one has to have something they perceive as "good" happen to them in order to experience happiness. In contrast, the person that has joy has it because they are content in whatever situation....even bad ones. Want proof? Here it is. The Bible says in James to count it all joy even when you fall into diverse trials. What? Is God serious? I'm supposed to have joy in the midst of a trial? Well, yes!

Remember, joy is not happiness. It's not an emotion. The premise is, if we really know God, we know He loves us and has good will toward us. Therefore, if He allows trials to come into our lives, it doesn't mean He's trying to destroy us. It must mean He's trying to strengthen us. Let's dig a little deeper into the passage. It says to "count it all joy when you fall into diverse trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience". Aaahh! There it is. If we have joy, trials in our lives produce patience. If we're happy, trials in our lives produce....well, sadness. That's why God wants us to have joy. Joy produces things we'll need for the next level of life. It makes us more mature.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't allow yourself to experience happiness. My point is to warn you to not confuse it with joy. If you do, you'll end up using happiness as motivation for some important decisions (i.e. relationships, jobs, relocating, etc). Also, you should remember joy cannot be found in a situation. It can only be found in the Lord. Knowing He has control of your life provides a security the world will never be able to take away. And that, my friends, you can count on!

Prayer: Father, You are the source of my joy. I don't have to have a lot of money in the bank, or lots of friends around me, to experience this knowing in my heart that You're all I need. The security of knowing You makes it possible for me to look uncertainties in the face and declare victory. Thank You for filling me with something that can never be taken away from me. As long as You are there, I'll never run out. In Jesus' Name, Amen.