Contented with Joy

“Joy has nothing to do with material things, or with a man's outward circumstance ... a man living in the lap of luxury can be wretched, and a man in the depths of poverty can overflow with joy.” William Barclay
Sometimes the best way to understand a word is to know its synonyms and its antonyms – so I will give that a try! From reading the Scriptures it seems that saints had joy even in the face of conflict or persecution so the synonym for joy must be contentment – as in the story of Job. Otherwise how could God expect us to 'be joyful always!' as in 1 Thess 5:16 since circumstances are not always conducive to pleasant thoughts or emotions. Next I would say that joy has an antonym – greed! Solomon told us that too much would never be enough! “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Finally I would add that joy and happiness are often confused as the same but they are not! There is a big difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is a reaction to something great. Joy is the product of someone great. Happiness is temporary while joy from our Heavenly Father has eternal qualities as well as some temporal benefits.
Sunday I will show where joy comes from, how to recognize it and how to celebrate it like the Angels, shepherds, Wise Men and the first Nativity family did – join us this week for the Advent candle: JOY – see you Sunday.
Pastor Mike