Colossians 1:24 (ESV) 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
Do you have joy in the midst of circumstances? There is a clear difference between joy and happiness. And based on who you talk to, and their worldview, you will get varying definitions with some making no discernable difference between the two. The two words are merely synonyms.
But for the Christian, and the Biblical world view they definitely stand apart.
One, happiness is dependent on the circumstances one finds himself or herself in and the other, joy is dependent upon our trust in the person of Christ and the eternal purposes of God.
For the believer, we can have joy in the midst of all circumstances, all circumstances!
In the video below we take a look at the joy that is a result of the empowerment by the indwelling Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Happiness comes and goes and is dependent on our circumstances.
Joy, on the other hand, rises above our circumstances. It is not by chance, but rather that which is ordained by God for the believer’s benefit and God’s glory.
Romans 8:28–29 (ESV) 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
He is doing in us the one thing we cannot do for ourselves…. Conform us to the image of Christ!