Rachel > Rachel's Quotes

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

“Remember He is the artist and you are only the picture. You can't see it. So quietly submit to be painted---i.e., keep fulfilling all the obvious duties of your station (you really know quite well enough what they are!), asking forgiveness for each failure and then leaving it alone.You are in the right way. Walk---don't keep on looking at it.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy, 1950 - 1963

“Joy is the serious business of heaven.”
― C. S. Lewis

“No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

“I sometimes wonder if all pleasures are not substitutes for joy.”
― C.S. Lewis

“Joy is not a substitute for sex; sex is very often a substitute for Joy. I sometimes wonder whether all pleasures are not substitutes for Joy.”
― C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.”
― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

“Joy is to fun what the deep sea is to a puddle. It’s a feeling inside that can hardly be contained.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

“To rejoice in temporal comforts is dangerous, to rejoice in self is foolish, to rejoice in sin is fatal, but to rejoice in God is heavenly.”
― Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Volumes #1-3

“The greatest joy is joy in God. This is plain from Psalm 16:11: "You [God] will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever." Fullness of joy and eternal joy cannot be improved. Nothing is fuller than full, and nothing is longer than eternal. And this joy is owing to the presence of God, not the accomplishments of man. Therefore, if God wants to love us infinitely and delight us fully and eternally, he must preserve for us the one thing that will satisfy us totally and eternally; namely, the presence and worth of his own glory. He alone is the source of full and lasting pleasure. Therefore, his commitment to uphold and display his glory is not vain, but virtuous. God is the one being for whom self-exaltation is an infinitely loving act. If he revealed himself to the proud and self-sufficient and not to the humble and dependent, he would belittle the very glory whose worth is the foundation of our joy. Therefore, God's pleasure in hiding this from "the wise and intelligent" and revealing it to "infants" is the pleasure of God in both his glory and our joy.”
― John Piper, The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God

“Joy is distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing. It is the reverse of happiness. Happiness is the result of what happens of an agreeable sort. Joy has its spring deep down inside. And that spring never runs dry, no matter what happens. Only Jesus gives that joy.”
― Samuel Gordon

“Now some of you will say that the two are one and the same - happiness and joy - but this is not so. Happiness is a feeling. Happiness is fleeting, dependent on the moment, the circumstances, even the weather. Joy is transcendent, enduring, and, in the biblical context, is not an emotion. Joy is an attitude of the heart. Joy brings us peace, a refuge in the midst of troubles. God gives us joy through His Spirit. But the enemy tries to steal your joy and give you temporary happiness instead. Now, is there anything wrong with being happy? Nee, but it cannot last. So, you may wonder why I bring up the difference between these two - it is simple really. [...] marriage is sacred before the Lord, a decision for a lifetime, but too often I think young people look upon it as a source of happiness. Do not look at marriage this way. See it as a reservoir of joy, a deep, welling spring that endures the icy blast of temper, the bite of an angry word, the void of loneliness in a heart hungry for talk when there is no response. [...] Seek joy in each other, not happiness.”
― Kelly Long, Lilly's Wedding Quilt

“Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow.”
― Helen Keller

“Joy cannot be pursued. It comes from within. It is a state of being. It does not depend on circumstances, but triumphs over circumstances. It produces a gentleness of spirit and a magnetic personality.”
― Billy Graham

“I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in truth.”
― Anonymous, The Holy Bible: King James Version

“Joy is a deeply felt contentment that transcends difficult circumstances and derives maximum enjoyment from every good experience.”
― Swindoll Charles R.

“...'joy' in Phillippians is a defiant 'Nevertheless!' that Paul sets like a full stop against the Philippians' anxiety...”
― Karl Barth, The Epistle to the Philippians

“Deep, contended joy comes from a place of complete security and confidence [in God] - even in the midst of trial.”
― Swindoll Charles R.

“Joy is based on the spiritual knowledge that, while the world in which we live is shrouded in darkness, God has overcome the world.”
― Henri Nouwen

“Look for Joy: that's God's echo, and his footprint. Happiness . . . happiness and wittiness and cleverness do not count for much when the darkness falls. Joy is tougher.”
― Sean Stewart, Nobody's Son

“Allow God to be your source of joy. When you do that, you will have joy even in the midst of sorrow.”
― Gift Gugu Mona

“As a child of God, please recognize that God is the strength of your life. Not your husband, children, job, friends, loved ones, or well-wishers. God should be the strength of your life, the source of your joy.”
― Precious Avwunuma Emodamori

“Real joy comes when we get the right desire met - the desire for God himself, for a life led by the Spirit, fulfilling not our material desires but our deepest need, which is to be in a close relationship with our Creator. That is the source of true blessing. The only source.”
― Michael W. Smith

“All Joy reminds. It is never a possession, always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still 'about to be'.”
― C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life