Daily Devotional
The Difference Between Happiness And Joy

August 28, 2017

Sin promises joy, but it never delivers. Why? Because true joy is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ. You can be a lost person and be happy for a while. But what I’m talking about here is not happiness, because happiness depends upon what happens. Joy depends upon the Lord.

Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” If you live for happiness, you are a prisoner of circumstances, because if the circumstances change, then you are not happy anymore.

Jesus never changes. Happiness is a cosmetic; it is on the outside. Joy is character; it is on the inside. Happiness only meets your surface needs, but joy meets your deepest needs. Happiness is like a thermometer—it just registers conditions. Joy is the thermostat that controls the conditions.

Happiness evaporates in a crisis. Joy many times intensifies in a crisis. Happiness is wonderful, but let me tell you something, friend. Happiness is at its fullest when it is mingled with joy…when you know the joy of the Lord.