JOY vs Happiness

As I read the Bible, several times the word “Joy” caught my attention. What is the difference between “happiness” and “Joy”?

Depending on the translation, the Bible uses the words “happy” and “happiness” about 30 times, while “joy” and “rejoice” appear over 300 times.

·        The Joy of the Lord is My Strength – Nehemiah 8:10.

·        Restore to me the Joy of your salvation- Psalm 51:12

·        What Joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises-Psalm 84:4

·        What Joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem 84:5

·        What Joy for those who trust in you Psalm 84:12

·        I will Joyful in God my saviour Habakkuk 3: 18

·        ALWAYS JOYFUL 1 Thessalonians 5:16

To understand more on HAPPINESS, one exercise that we can do; write down specific things that make us happy in this world? Probably you will have a list of things such as listen to music, a trip, favourite food, money, friends, etc. when we closely observed all these are temporary and bring temporary emotional happiness.

Happiness is depending on what is happening around you. That’s what we see in the world people are happy when they have money, power, resources etc. when things around them are good, people are happy. There are many things that influence my happiness on a daily basis.

The word “Joy” comes from the Greek root word Chara and means “to be exceedingly glad”. Joy is entirely different from happiness. Joy, in the Bible context is attitude of the heart. It is not based on your circumstances or what is happening around you. When happiness is temporary, joy remains. Joy brings us peace in the middle of storm. Bible talks about joy in the Holy Spirit. So this is something God deposit with in us.

James 1:2 says, dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. It is obvious that this joy is not depending on the circumstances. How can ever have joy in the midst of trouble? This is the joy that God gives you when you put that trouble in His hand. I can testify many times in my life, that I have experienced the Joy in the midst of confusion, trouble, uncertainty, etc. This is the Joy that God gives as we depend on God and spend time with Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Always be joyful, Never stop praying and be thankful in all circumstances” this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  So this is the command that always be joyful. No matter what, when, who, where, how your circumstances. Irrespective of our circumstances we can find our Joy in the Lord.

Always remember Joy is what God gives you in the midst of trouble when you put that trouble in God's hands. 

Daniel: A man of excellence

Why Daniel was successful in a country where he was a slave boy? When we study the life of Daniel there are three significant areas that he was an excellent leader. In his devotion, character and work. 

Excellence in his devotion: Daniel 6:10 but when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

He pray three times a day, giving thanks to the Lord and in prayer knelt down as usual in his upstairs room. What a great lesson we can learn from Him. When he comes before God, he gives all reverence to Gods presence.

Daniel knew that the law had been signed (If you are not worshipping the king, you will be thrown in Lion’s Den) but Daniel went home and knelt down as usual in God’s presence. He had such confidence in the living God to whom he served. And he knew his God very intimately. Daniel 2:21 God is the one who controls everything- not the kind or his kingdom. In every occasion Daniel was careful enough to give all glory back to God and lift His name before the King.

Excellence in His Character: Daniel 6:4 then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they could not find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible and completely trusts worthy.

• He was faithful
• Always responsible
•  Completely trust worthy

Excellence in his work: Daniel 6: 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

Daniel was excellence in his work, so that his fellow workers unable to find any fault in him.

“God makes three requests of his children; Do the best you can, where you are, with what you have now” unknown

2 Corinthians 8:7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you—make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too. (NET)

God is calling each one of us to give our best to Him. Do your best!

Work in progress

Philippians 1:6 [Amplified Bible] And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

I think most of us are familiar with this word "work in progress" especially in our country. Many times we see this on the road as a sign board. Yes; this is the way our heavenly father looks at each one of us. “He is always working in and through our lives to makes us what we ought to be".

God's ultimate aim for each one of us, that we would become more and more like Jesus. His presence and His character will be reflected in our day to day life. God may be dealing with your finance, anger, thinking, personality, and attitude, etc. I don’t know what is God up to you today but I know that He still working on you and me. We may be in different stages in our pilgrimage but never give up! God is still working on you to make you what you ought to be.

 There is an old Sunday school song that speaks to this truth.  It goes something like this:

CHORUS:

He's still working on me,

To make me what I ought to be.

It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars,

The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.

How loving and patient He must be,

He's still workin' on me!

VERSE 1:

There really ought to be a sign upon my heart,

"Don't judge me yet, there's an unfinished part."

But I'll be perfect, just according to His plan,

Fashioned by the Master's loving hand.

You see, none of us has arrived yet.  We are all still works in progress.  I am glad today that I am not what I used to be and that I am not what will be when He gets through with me some day.  As we travel in our pilgrimage, we are mere the clay in the hand of God.  He is working on us now, and He has great plans for us in eternity.

Do not judge by seeing a fellow believer as we don’t know where he is in this journey and How God is working in his life? God is working in each one of our lives but it based on the individual.

He is still working on us!  And, He will continue to work until we reach @ home with our heavenly father. Someday, God will finish His work in us. 

Heb 13:5 God will never leave you nor forsake you. God is working and will continue to work in your life. 

How do we really love our kids?

I was reading a book called “Exposing the MYTHS of parenthood” by David Jeremiah (Page181-184). This is an extract from this book and I would like to share it for those who don’t have a chance to read it.

How do we really love our kids?

What do our kids really need?  They want to feel loved

How do we let them know we love them? In the only laboratory I know, my home, I’ve learned ten necessary ingredients which say those important three words in daily living.

·       We love them by establishing boundaries for their lives. Dr. Joyce Brothers wrote; strictness has been considered an old-fashioned method of parenting, but it may be coming back into style. A recent study of almost 2,000 fifth and sixth graders- some of whom had been reared by strict parent, other by permissive ones- produced some surprising results. The children who had been strictly disciplined possessed high self-esteem and were high achievers; socially and academically… what these children said revealed that they were actually happier than the undisciplined children. They loved the adults who made and enforced the rules they lived by”

·       We love them by enjoying them (laugh more)

·       We love our kids by exposing our humanness to them: some kids have grown up in Christian hoes thinking their parents don’t make mistakes. We need to let them know we’re human. Say “ I am sorry” when you make a mistakes.

·       We love our children by explaining our reasons for decisions: many of you may have grown up in a home where you were told, “we don’t have to explain to you; we are telling you. You do it because we said so. “it’s true, as parents we do have that right, but if we do that often we leave a root of bitterness that grows and may become a rebellious heart.

·       We love our kids by exchanging ideas with them; Teenagers have a bizarre way of trying to communicate. Sometime we think they are speaking another language- one we need to go to linguistics school to understand. However, it’s crucial that we listen and exchange ideas with them when they are available.

·       We love our kids by encouraging them; kids are so concerned about being accepted by their peers that they fail to recognize their own potential. When we see our emerging adults struggling with self-esteem, we need to be their greatest fans. They need every boost we can give them. Encouragement is the nutrition our spirits thrive on.

·       We love them by expanding their horizons: our children’s dreams are so important. Encouragement is vital during times of defeat, but we need t help them look beyond today to their promise of future accomplishments. Expanding horizons is not just exposing them to travel or music or art, but giving them visions of where they might go or be if they head in the right direction.

·       We love them by expressing physically what we feel in our hearts: I’ve found that the hardest time to hug a daughter is when she is a teenager. When she is a cute baby or a little girl, it’s easy, but when she begins to emerge as a young woman there is a certain reticence which builds. However, it is then that she needs her had the most. A headline in a San Antonio paper announced that “ four hugs a day chase blues away”

·       We love our kids by examining our own lives regularly; one of the best things I can do for our kids is to love my wife and keep my life clean before the Lord. The picture of life our children see is the one we present to them. We have such a short time to influence and help mold them in to men and women of God.

·       We love our kids by exercising great patience with them

What should we do or not do for our adult children?

I was reading a book called “Exposing the MYTHS of parenthood” by David Jeremiah (Page167-171). This is an extract from this book and I would like to share it for those who don’t have a chance to read it.

What should we do or not do for our adult children?

Ø  Our kids need our prayers, not our preaching: Perhaps more than at any other stage of their lives, adult children needs our prayers on their behalf. Most powerful influence in the world is prayer

Ø  Our kids need our concern, not our control: “when are you and the family reading in the bile these days?

Ø  Our kids need our understanding, not our undermining:  Out of every adversity comes a grater reward. We cannot rescue our children from all difficulties, but we can understanding and undergird them when circumstances are rocky.

Ø  Our kids need our example, not our exhortation: As we grow older, our kids are watching us

Ø  Our kids need to see enthusiasm for life, not endurance till death:  It’s so exciting to see an older couple who have excitement about life. John Wesley, at eighty-five, said he was not weary in travelling or preaching. He journeyed over 250,000 miles on horseback, preached over 40,000 sermons, wrote 400 books, learned and spoke 10 languages. He said he stayed young by exercise and change of air, never losing a night’s sleep on land or at sea, arising at 4:00 every morning and preaching at 5 every morning.

o   At age eighty, Corrie ten Boom said she was going to write five books and do five films before she died. She did it!

Ø  Our kids need our committed love, not our conditional love

Ø  Our kids need some protected time, not some promised time: they need some particular time that is committed to spend with each other

Ø  Our kids need our cooperation, not our complaints

RUN TO WIN

1 Corinthians 9:24-27: Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So RUN TO WIN! All athletes are discipline in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.So i run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others i myself might be qualified.

There are two elements stand out here in order to win the spiritual race; Self-disciplined and run with a purpose

SELF DECIPLINE

The apostle compares himself to the racers and combatants in the Isthmian games, well known by the Corinthians. The athletes went into strict training to compete in the races. Every athlete knows the need to take a proper diet and to abstain unhealthy foods and habits if he were to have any chance of winning. And they get the prize 

Question to ponder;

• What would be some of the proper diet for us in the spiritual race?
• What are some   habits and unhealthy foods that we need to give up?

... let us lay aside every encumbrance,
and the sin which so easily entangles us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb 12:1)

If athletes in the world disciplined themselves for the goal of winning a perishable prize then how much more we need to train for an imperishable crown? 

RUN WITH A PURPOSE

What are some goals you would like to achieve in order to receive the prize?

 Apostle Paul says I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should

Question to ponder;

• What would be some of the spiritual discipline you need?
• What are the areas that you need to train in order to RUN WITH A PURPOSE?

I pray that may the Lord help us to be disciplined and RUN with a purpose

SEE HIS GLORY & REFLECT HIS GLORY

2 Corinthians 3: 16-18 Paul is writing to Corinth church, but whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the spirit and wherever the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed; can SEE HIS GLORY and REFLECT HIS GLORY OF THE LORD. And the Lord- who is the spirit- makes us more and more like him as we are changed in to his glorious image.

The term glory (doxa) appears in Hebrew- root meaning "to be heavy, weighty." Here it applies to something that is weighty in outward appearance. Here it refers to the fact that Moses' face shone as he descended with the tablets of the law. So bright in fact was this splendor that Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory.

Many times as a Christian many people think that Christian life is all about repentance, Baptism, anointing of the Holy Spirit. Once we are done with all this process we are ready and can have a normal live. No; not at all, these are the basic steps and we need grow further in the Lord. As we turn to the Lord we are call to see HIS glory and reflect His glory in our day to day lives.

As someone said it rightly the Bible is meant to be bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions. We suppose to meditate Bible and hear from God in daily basics.

When we see the life Moses, his life was an example for us. Exodus 37:7-11” It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting[a] and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses.  When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents. Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting”.

In Moses life it was his practice to seek the Lord every morning before he goes back to camp to talk to the people and hear their problem. That was the success behind mosses life; being in God’s presence and see His glory and in his practical life he reflect the Gods glory. God is calling each one of us to see His glory and reflect His glory in our daily lives. We are called to be a peace makers and channel of blessings for the people around us.

When closely study this 2 Corinthians 3:18; whenwe see God’s glory it will affect in three dimensions;

1)      We will reflect Gods glory

2)      It will make us more and more like him

3)      We will be changed to His glorious image

Take few moments to reflect our lives; are you live a life that reflecting Gods glory? Unless and until we spend time with the Lord to see His glory, we won’t be able to reflect Gods glory in our daily lives. Can we seek God’s glory in the midst of our confusions/ problems?  Can we seek His glory in midst of sickness, for the nation, etc.? 

God is looking for an intimate relationship with you

We all like to be closer to Jesus in our course of life. We would like to talk to him, listen to him and to have an intimacy relationship with God. Scripture says in Genesis God created man to have fellowship with Him, however, sin became the barrier between God and man. But often many people go away from Jesus rather coming closer to him. Why??

Exodus 20:18-21 

 ¹⁸ When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 

¹⁹ and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”

 ²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

 ²¹ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Why Israelites went away from Gods presence? They even said they don’t want hear from God. Few reasons could be as following;

•       Lack of Personal relationship/ experiences with God
•      They long for mediator
•      They were afraid
•      Less knowledge of God
•      Ungodliness
•      Because of their sin

When we closely observe our spiritual life it is very true what happened to the Israelites same with us. Why we go away from Gods presence is it because of Sin/ lack of personal relationship? God made the remedy for sin by dying for our sin on the cross and God is calling each one of us for an intimate relationship. Even from the Garden of Eden, we see God comes in the evening and talk to Adam and Eve. It didn’t stop there it carry on to the next generations; we see Enoch who walked with God, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Jesus, disciples, etc.

In 1 Chronicles 28:9 we read when David gives instructions to Solomon, “my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately”. And in the final word he also said in words 20 “Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you”

When we see the life David it is visible that his priority was to know God intimately and with much confidence he is telling to Solomon that my God is with you.

God is longing for the intimate relationship with each one of us. Are you willing to available in his presence? His presence can change you and can accomplish greater purpose for His glory.

This is my prayer that in the course life you will stay close to God and know him intimately.