For

Minister Monardo said:

The Joy of salvation is not happiness. It is to have a future and a hope,
and that the life we lead will not be in vain.
Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Our joy is "set before us", and is not of this world or this life.
Philippians 3:
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on,
that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those
things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Click to expand...

• There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

Minister Monardo said:

Amen. And I rejoice in all these things, at all times. I am not saying that there is no happiness
in the life of a Christian, I am saying that the joy of the Lord transcends such notions,
even as you have said. The joy of the Lord stands out in the world when we can rejoice
in our tribulations.
James 1:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
Acts 5:
40 And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them,
they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for His name.
Matthew 5:
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

I will say it again. The Joy of the Lord is not happiness. Happiness is subject to
circumstances. "Count it all joy" is the means by which we transcend our circumstances.
Philippians 4:
10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again;
though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am,
to be content:
12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things
I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Click to expand...