Happiness in Jesus
“May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, ‘The Lord is great!'”
Psalm 40:16
We make such an effort to separate “joy” from “happiness.” Joy, we say, is a gift of the Spirit, and happiness is a knee-jerk response to things that tickle our fancy. But the Bible doesn’t split hairs. Psalm 40 says, “May all who seek you rejoice and be glad.” The words are used interchangeably along with other words like delight and blessed. They don’t have a sliding scale of spiritual value.
Happiness is not relegated to fleshly-minded sinners nor is joy to heaven-bound saints. Besides, if we say the Gospel won’t bring happiness, any listener would respond, “Then how is it good news?” So, in light of Scripture, let’s redeem the word happiness. How about if we say… “You’ll find in Jesus the happiness you’ve always longed for.” And that is the glad truth.
How to Choose Joy When Coping with Severe Allergies and Environmental Illness
When Danika suddenly became allergic to everything—people, places, and things—she found herself cut off from the friends, foods, and places that she loved. But with God’s help, Danika has learned to joyfully give thanks for what she has and let go of what she doesn’t.
