22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[a]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[b]
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
-God's plan for his people is joy.
I have the feeling like I have to put something here so people will see that I have some of my own thoughts in this entry. I have my thoughts in three places counting this one. I like that God's plan for us is to have Joy all the time. Just think of what it would be like without having that joy. This world would not be the way it is today. If joy wasn't tried to the promise of a rescuer, then we wouldn't have any Hope to live for. We wouldn't have any reason to keep rejoicing from day to day. We would just be happy one day and that would be it. Think about everything that could go on if we were all happy here and there and didn't have that joy, especially that joy for a Greater Place then this earth. That is the GREAT JOY! If we want to know what God has in store for us, then we need to have joy in our lives. We need to know that God wants us to be joyful towards everyone and be joyful in His Presence so He will give us what He knows is best for us. When He gives us those things, when need to be joyful and thank Him for the things. I could start a whole other entry about joy and marriage to now that I am thinking about it but I won't for now.
-Joy is tied to the promise of a rescuer!
-Great joy!
Matthew 1:22-23
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[a] (which means “God with us”).
-Immanuel-God with us.
-God is so committed to your ultimate joy.
-Ps. 4:7
"Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound."
-Ps. 16:11
"You make known to me the path of life, you will fill me with joy in your presence with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
-1 Sam. 2:1
"Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn[a] is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance."
in the Lord my horn[a] is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance."
"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation."
-"We experience joy but we long more of it."-Mark
I am going to write my thoughts between these two sayings because it seems like I am at that age in my life where they are true. All my friends are getting married and having babies. Yet I am on the road where I am finding out just what I want to do in life. I have hope that things will happen so I have joy in my life now. Happiness not so much. It comes and goes with the day.
I have a lot of joy for other people and am happy for them. I will even admit they give me joy sometimes but at other times I feel sad and hopeless for me but I try to be happy for them. I love watching some of my friends' videos because I can just laugh and be joyful for them. They also encourage me to keep going towards that Hope I need to have to keep moving forwards in life.
I have a lot of joy for other people and am happy for them. I will even admit they give me joy sometimes but at other times I feel sad and hopeless for me but I try to be happy for them. I love watching some of my friends' videos because I can just laugh and be joyful for them. They also encourage me to keep going towards that Hope I need to have to keep moving forwards in life.
-Joy is tried to a longing that is based on hope.
-Happiness is tried to a happening that is being experienced.
-John 16:20-21
"20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world."
-Romans 12:12a
"12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
-Romans 15:13
-"Joy is peace dancing and peace is joy at rest."-FB Meyer
-Phil. 4:4, 5b, 7a, 9b
"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
-See and Savor-Path to Joy
You can see happiness but you can only savor Joy for a long time. Seeing happiness in a person is just for that moment in time. It is for the experience they went through then but that happiness also brings Joy and Hope to the person. That person is happy when they get good news about something or they see a friend doing great in their business but there is always joy that falls behind that happiness. Joy that the friends brought to that person at the hardest times in their life. Joy that keeps that person on the path God has for them alone. Joy that give that person the Hope they need to keep that Joy and keep going towards their own goals.
It might even be hard for the person who is spreading the happiness at times but they know that somehow it is making a difference in the lives around them. It is really hard to explain what Joy is and how Happiness and Joy are different but I hope you get the idea of what I am trying to say in my own words and examples along with the verses and quotes by my pastor. I understood it while I was at church and it just hit me in the strangest way but that may be because I need it at this moment in my life. Maybe it is because I do have more joy in my life right now and I was looking for happiness because I thought that is what push me on when really it was the joy behind that happiness. Not joy for myself but joy for the people around me.
Yes, I want to be happy for my friends and it would be so hard for me to be that way because I would think what about me now. Now that I know that joy comes with happiness and pushes me to my goals, I can think about it that way. I can be happy for them in that moment but have joy for them for longer especially when I know it has been something they have always wanted and a dream of theirs.
-Happiness is tried to a happening that is being experienced.
-John 16:20-21
"20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world."
"12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
-"Joy is peace dancing and peace is joy at rest."-FB Meyer
-Phil. 4:4, 5b, 7a, 9b
"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
-See and Savor-Path to Joy
You can see happiness but you can only savor Joy for a long time. Seeing happiness in a person is just for that moment in time. It is for the experience they went through then but that happiness also brings Joy and Hope to the person. That person is happy when they get good news about something or they see a friend doing great in their business but there is always joy that falls behind that happiness. Joy that the friends brought to that person at the hardest times in their life. Joy that keeps that person on the path God has for them alone. Joy that give that person the Hope they need to keep that Joy and keep going towards their own goals.
It might even be hard for the person who is spreading the happiness at times but they know that somehow it is making a difference in the lives around them. It is really hard to explain what Joy is and how Happiness and Joy are different but I hope you get the idea of what I am trying to say in my own words and examples along with the verses and quotes by my pastor. I understood it while I was at church and it just hit me in the strangest way but that may be because I need it at this moment in my life. Maybe it is because I do have more joy in my life right now and I was looking for happiness because I thought that is what push me on when really it was the joy behind that happiness. Not joy for myself but joy for the people around me.
Yes, I want to be happy for my friends and it would be so hard for me to be that way because I would think what about me now. Now that I know that joy comes with happiness and pushes me to my goals, I can think about it that way. I can be happy for them in that moment but have joy for them for longer especially when I know it has been something they have always wanted and a dream of theirs.
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