What is the difference between the Joy of the Lord and the steroid of this world, happiness?
2. How do we possess and live in this Joy? I. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOY AND HAPPINESS. A. HAPPINESS: NOTE: Happiness is the Steroid to the soul. v Happiness is strictly external. NOTE: Happiness is conditioned by and often dependent upon what is happening to me. It is irrevocably bound up either with the behavior of other people, the sequence of events in my life, or the circumstances in which I find myself.[1] The word happiness is not found in the KJV and the word happy is found only 25 times. v Happiness is very unstable because of what it is based on. o People o Wealth or possessions o Health or looks o Success or fame NOTE: All these things are build on sandy foundations. The winds of change and the floods of adversity will erode its foundation. B. THE JOY OF THE LORD. NOTE: Just consider what it is called: the Joy of the Lord. The joy that a Christian has is based not on external things but rather on a relationship with God. It is His Joy that grows within the life of His people
