We all need joy in our lives. There are big differences between happiness and joy. In today's sermon I'm going to talk about where our joy comes from and what makes it last. Essentially, joy comes from being in the presence of God. Joy is the product of His amazing agape-love. God's love is divine. It is different from anything humans can produce. We need it His love in us to be like Him. Paul points at Jesus to show us what living in God's perfect love looks like and consequently it is not all about being happy.

Happiness and joy are very different. Joy is related to being present with someone. It is a relationship word. The joy lasts as long as the person is present. That's why our joy in the Lord can be our strength and last forever. Happiness is very self directed. It only satisfies for a little while and it is gone, sometimes leaving us even emptier than we were before. It is tragic when our lives are built on the desire to make ourselves happy when we can have joy that is complete and eternal.

We receive joy by grace. It is that gift that only God can give, and he wants to give it to us. Like any gift we should want it and reach out for it. A little child that is helpless and scared reaches out for his or her daddy. It is the comfort of a strong and loving parent that brings strength and joy to their tender hearts. That's how we need to be with God, reaching for our Dad who loves us and wants to hold us.