During Marriage Week there is a great opportunity to strengthen or rebuild a strong marriage culture within the church and beyond in the community. We can add “fuel” to rekindle a vibrant marriage culture in a society that no longer understands what marriage is, much less what it is for.
During Marriage Week honour, celebrate and teach God’s design and purpose for marriage. This year the theme is “The Joy of Marriage” which could be a theme to preach on or use in group settings if you are led that way.
Some have a mixed understanding of the meaning of “joy” often equating it to happiness.
What’s the Difference?
The words “joy” and “happiness” are often interchanged when describing emotions, but they are very different. Websters Dictionary (1828) starts their definition of happiness:
“The agreeable sensations which spring from the enjoyment of good; that state of a being in which his desires are gratified, by the enjoyment of pleasure without pain; felicity; but happiness usually expresses less than felicity, and felicity less than bliss. happiness is comparative…..”.
Whereas they describe Joy as: “The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits….”
But, more importantly – Joy is a supernatural Gift from God. Scripture teaches that those that are followers of Jesus, those born again (Jn 3:1-16) are given gifts through the Holy Spirit. Those gifts are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22, Rom 15:13). Furthermore Nehemiah 8:10 shows us that “…. the joy of the LORD is your strength!” These gifts are given to all who know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and much of this message applies to everyone in the church whether married or not
Happiness can be experienced by everyone in the world at some time and at some level, the starting point being when something is going right for them. Increase in happiness usually follows keeping our joy.
In John 15:11 Jesus tells us “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.