I choose Joy! ~ for King and Country.
I’m sure I’ve quoted that song before, and I’m sure I’ll quote it again; it’s just that good! (It’s definitely one of my favourite songs; if you haven’t heard it, go listen, you’re missing out!)
The first thing you’ve probably realised is that joy is not the first fruit on the list in Galatians. Correct, it isn’t. So you’re probably wondering what I’ve done with love, don’t worry, rest assured I haven’t forgotten it. I’m intentionally going to do this series out of order BECAUSE it is so important to look at them for what they are, not just list them off like you do the alphabet.
I bet you don’t think about the individual letters of the alphabet. You just know how to say them in order. a, b, c, d, e, f, g… probably to the tune of Twinkle, twinkle little star (or is that just an Australian thing??). But if someone interrupts you or asks you to say them backwards or out of order, it’s super tricky because you don’t actually know them as independent letters per se, just the alphabet collective.
We often do this with the bible too. We learn how to recite, but not necessarily how to know or understand them as individual concepts. So here we go!
Joy.
Three letters, one of the defining and fundamental parts of Christianity.
So, what is joy? And how does it differ from happiness?
Well, that’s tricky because, in our day and age, the words have shifted and changed to the point where they mean pretty much the same thing in everyday language. At best, someone might say that joy is the stronger descriptor than happiness.
But, they actually portray two different ideas, at least from a biblical perspective. I remember it like this; happiness comes from what happens, but joy is bigger than what is happening. Happiness comes from things and experiences but doesn’t last much longer than the experience, and it wears off quickly. It is dependent on the circumstances.
On the other hand, Joy comes from a relationship with God and doesn’t rely on circumstances or stuff. It is so much bigger. It is independent of circumstances. It is what gets you through hard times; it lasts when life is falling to pieces and allows you to rejoice during trials and suffering.
Tune in next time if you’d like to see how we can have this incredulous, incredible joy. And find out why being joyful is one of the significant marks of a Christian.
If you’d like to learn more about joy or complete your own study, I’m currently working on a free handout that I designed for a bible study I lead which takes you through a bunch of study questions and verses which will help you understand the importance God places on joy and how accessible He has made it. Let me know if that would interest you.
♡ tee x
Musings by Tee 