♫ Joy Down In My Meart ♫

Do you remember going to Vacation Bible School or somewhere on a bus and singing the song  ♪"I've got joy, joy joy,joy down in my heart." ♫  On my journey into adolescents I use to hear "happiness is a choice."
Now in my adult life I am learning there is a difference. Did you know there was a difference?
Well, if not, let me share with you what I've learned and maybe this will help you someday. If you have, please share what you know about the difference between joy and happiness.

First let's start with joy. First joy is something that is truly given by God.
You can find this in Ecclesiatis 2:26 and in Galatians we are told that it is a fruit of the Spirit. So it is something that you cannot have without God giving it to you. Joy I have found is this unexplainable emotion inside that can become so apparent in a smile or actions towards another. If I could give you a visual; I imagine joy as water in a pot, the Love of the Lord is heating it up, next the water boils and last it reaches its peak and cannot be contained. You now find yourself ready to stand up and dance, raise your hands and clap, your face shows a smile that you have no control over. Haven't you ever smiled so long that your cheeks hurt? Yes, this is the joy that I am talking about. It is deep inside your soul and it is unexplainable. As the song goes, ♫ "I've got the joy, joy, joy,joy down in my heart to stay."♪
Now for happiness. I mentioned that to be happy is a choice. You have control over being happy, sad, or even mad. This goes back to you having control over your reaction to someone else's action. Someone just hit your car from behind, you now have a choice to be mad about it or happy that noone got hurt. You can rant and rave over the fact that you have to call your insurance company (if you have one) and just deal with the situation and be happy that you don't have to pay for the cost of damages.
Being happy is a choice and it is a surface feeling. You can be happy one second and mad the next.
Anyone can be happy if they choose it, or they can receive joy which lasts a lot longer.
What do you choose today in your circumstance? I encourage you to be happy and find the good in every situation. You will have trials and the Lord tells us in James "to count it all joy when you fall into various trials."  It's not easy, but it does make the situation you are going through a lot easier to handle.
So, what song is on your heart today?

Psalm 98:4  (NKJ)
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
Romans 10:9  (NKJ)
 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

 It's this easy to accept Jesus and the benefit package he has waiting for you. 

Sing a song no matter who is listening.