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A Little Grace

Joy is the second virtue listed in the fruit of the Spirit. The word joy isn't used very much anymore. People talk more often about about being happy. There is a difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is circumstantial. There are certain situations that produce happiness or take happiness away.
Have you ever noticed how much the weather influences many people as to whether or not they are going to have a good day or not? The extreme heat we have experienced lately has made many people unhappy. They have allowed the weather and other people's comments on the weather to make them unhappy about their day, even though there is nothing anyone can do about the weather.
Joy, on the other hand, comes from a deeper place. Joy is extreme gladness. It can also be described as extreme happiness that is not based on any known circumstances. The Holy Spirit is who provides Christians with the privilege to experience joy every day of their lives. This is not because Christians never experience trouble but because the Holy Spirit has filled us with the goodness of God.
Many times non-believers try to string together numerous good events to make themselves feel happy. This may be why so many Americans watch hours of television trying to maintain happy feelings through entertainment. People think up many different ways to try to find feelings of happiness.
Joy, extreme gladness, is the Christian's normal state of mind. Not because God showers us with unimaginable blessings from the sky, but as the direct result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. The goodness of God produces a joy that words can not truly express. This is a day that the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it! Living in the joy of the Lord can be your daily experience. You think about that! Amen.

A Little Grace is a weekly devotional published by Community of Grace.














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