The Source of Joy Joy is not the same as pleasure or happiness. A wicked and evil man may have pleasure, while any ordinary mortal is capable of being happy. Joy comes from loving God and neighbor.
Pleasure is quick and violent, like a flash of lightning.
Joy is steady and abiding, like a fixed star. Pleasure depends on external circumstances, such as money, food, travel, etc. Joy is independent of them, for it comes from a good conscience and love of God. What We Say Matters I once shared a platform with the nearly blind theologian Joseph Sittler, a man who really saw, and heard. The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.