Happiness Vs Joy

My personal definition for "happiness" and "joy" are very different. In a nutshell, I define "happiness" as a a emotion feeling of well-being and contentment, which is affected by external circumstances. Mostly from shallowly things such as enjoying good food, or for me, being able to eat without interruption from my children.

I think most people would define "joy" as something like "really happy by something more meaningful" such as having a good relationship with our families, or being able to help someone in need. But for me I believe true and lasting joy can only comes from God. And it would not waver due to any change of circumstances, because God is the only one sure thing that never change.

Our delight in God, His attributes and His promises are what gives us everlasting joy. When Paul was in prison, I'd bet he's not happy about it. Yet his letter to the Philippians, written in prison, is full of joy. The words "joy" or "rejoice" are used fourteen times!

John Piper, an gifted preacher and writer, wrote "...only God can create joy in God. This is why the old saints not only pursued joy but prayed for it..." How true! My prayer, to quote Mr. Piper's book When I Don't Desire God, is this:

"And thus give them more joy than all the gladness that the world can give. And by this joy in Jesus Christ, fit them to love and serve and sacrifice. And by this joy, with which they bear their cross, Lord, cause the earth to know what you are truly worth."

Am I a “Christian?”

I'm cautious in calling myself "Christian". Unfortunately, there are people that associate that with people who hold signs that say "God hates homosexuals", or it reminds them of their hypocritical uncle who go to church on Sundays but lies and cheats.

And then there're also people that call themselves "Christians", but what they believe or do is nowhere near what the Bible teaches.

Since the word "Christ" is in the word "Christian", obviously being Christians has everything to do with Christ. I would define a Christian as a disciple/follower of Jesus Christ.

So what does that entail?

According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, "follow" can be to engage in as a calling or way of life, to be or act in accordance with and to accept as authority.

So to be a disciple/follower of Jesus Christ, I believe one has to:

1. Study His words/work to grow in knowledge of Him. (i.e. the Bible)
2. Grow a personal relationship with Him. (prayers, not only know God in your head as intellectual knowledge, but know Him in your heart as well)
3. Do what your Lord says, regardless of how you feel.

Of course the above points will need further dissection. The fun has just begun.

Definitions

Different people interpret different words or phrases differently, since our experiences shape how we view so many things. I believe this is one of the major causes of miscommunications. For example, person A tells person B "I'll call you SOON." For person A, "soon" means a few days, while person B's version of "soon" is a few hours. Miscommunications often lead to conflicts.

I'm cautious in using words that often have different meanings for different people. Exploring how I define things is important for me, it helps me to know clearly what I believe and why I believe them. It also helps to avoid being misunderstood.

I'd post them as I tackle them.