Fun vs. Joy

               Fun is just having a good time doing something not necessarily good...like, going on a rollercoaster...fun is exciting, joy is calming and helps you find peace. joy is a peaceful happiness that comes when you are being yourself doing thins that make you happy and then you spread that happiness and help others so its not just "fun" its "joy"....if you add love to fun...true agape unconditional love, its "joy".
         Some people think doing evil things are "fun". But delusion and separation from God causes that. Evil can never bring joy, and if someone thinks it is, it is false joy, not real joy. The Bible says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance" (James 1:2-3). Psalm 47 says, "Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy." To have joy, you need true love. Fun is just playing around, and it's okay. Joy is so much more. Joy comes from God, and it is a gift from Above.
      Believing in Jesus can bring great Joy. 1 Peter says, "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result  of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8-9). Belief in Jesus brings joy. For gymnastics, I know that God helps me with it, so it brings me true joy.
        In Proverbs, God writes, "The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing"(Proverbs 10:28) Devils think "killing" and "raping" is "fun" but they are deluded, and nothing to us. Just shun evil Refuse to laugh at their jokes; refuse to have anything to do with them.
Earlier in Proverbs, it says, "Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: 'To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it" (Proverbs 8:1-5). Wisdom produces joy. Later in Proverbs 8, it says that wisdom leads people to speak honestly. As a cherub, I know preaching and being honest and spreading Eternal Truth is joy.
     2 John says, "I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use pen and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete" (2 John 12) It is a joy to lay outside and gaze up at the stars, talking to God. It is even more of a joy to Worship Him and to meet Him. He talks to us telepathically, in person, in signs, in songs, in movies, and in the Bible. One way to read the Bible is to close your eyes and pray, "Dear Lord Jesus Christ, Yahweh, and the Holy Spirit, please open my Bible with my hands to the part of it you want me to read. In Jesus's name I pray, Amen". Then open your Bible, and read it once, to get it in your head. Read it again, to try to understand it. Read it a third time, and ask God what He says it means. This is a spiritual workout. When you read the gospels, read about 4 paragraphs, then go back a couple paragraphs and read further, go back again, repeat, absorbing all of the Bible's Love and Joy and Truth. The Holy Bible is food - nourishment - for the soul. It brings us joy, and we all need it.
        In Philemon, it says, "Your Love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the heart of the Lord's people" (Philemon 7). It is a joy to be loved by God. Just sit there filled with God's Love, and you will feel joy. When you do the Lord's Work...when you lead people to God, and serve Him, it produces joy, not fun.  Fun is okay. Roller coasters, work outs (work outs can be both fun and joy), reading, etc. Fun is okay. It all turns into joy when you have Jesus. Just be - just being can bring great joy. Meditating, hanging with your breath, listening to all the sounds around you, meditating on the ground embracing your back like God's Love embracing you - all of this brings joy. And I wouldn't call meditation fun...it comes, but it is difficult sometimes. Try to do it. Sit or walk however you want, and change your focus. Focus on God, not on fun that gets in the way of other peoples' happiness (the fun that evil people embrace....I won't even say it, you can guess. Shun evil. Don't even talk about it...this "fun" isn't "fun" at all...it is just pure evil.)
     Anyways, loving Jesus brings us great joy. Shout it to everyone, sing it to everyone. Shout, sing, dance, be filled with joy.

That's all for now.
Rebecca <3 :)