Joy not Pleasure

"Pleasure and Christian joy cannot be equated. Pleasure depends on circumstances. Christian joy is completely independent of circumstances. The joy of God is constant. It rises to rise again. Pleasures are superficial and temporary. Joy is deep. It wells up from inner contentment. The smile is not merely on the lips and in the eyes but in the heart. It may flame into rapture or glow in peace. Joy, that is godly joy, is not something a pilgrim is required to have, but is rather a consequence of having been set free from the bondage of sin and knowing, like the prodigal, that one's feet are on the road that leads to the Father's house." - Selwyn Hughes