The
second characteristic of the Fruit of the Spirit is Joy. Joy is a Christian’s word. Happiness is the world’s word. The New Testament doesn’t use the word
happiness or even promise it. It uses
the word joy. Happiness is the result of
what happens. Joy comes from deep
inside. It is a spring that never runs
dry, no matter what happens. Only Jesus
gives joy.
What is
joy? Joy is the reaction when you are set
free! Jesus did that when He died for us
on the cross. Now we don’t have to pay
the price for our sins. Jesus paid it
for us. So there should be joy in our
hearts. We should live like we are
joyful. Be thankful for the freedom we
have and the many blessing we have in this life. We have joy in God’s grace. We don’t deserve what he did for us. If we got what we deserved, we would never,
never see heaven. Doesn’t this make
you joyful?
It’s
hard to be joyful in the hard times, but we should have joy knowing that God is
with us through them. God uses every
trial to help you become stronger in your faith. No matter how bad things get in this life,
God can still heal and deliver us. He
can still restore us, if we are willing to work with Him. God can restore our joy in Him. The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is
our strength. Listen and work with His
Spirit and He will release joy in you. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials
of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish
its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” -
James 1:2-4.
The
Bible says many, many time to “rejoice”.
To rejoice means have joy and be joyful.
We are commanded to be joyful.
God is on our side and there is no reason we should not be joyful. “Let all those
rejoice who put their trust in you; let them ever shout for joy, because you
defend them; let those also who love your name be joyful in you.” – Ps. 5:11.
We have
joy in many ways. There is joy in prayer,
worship, and in love. We show joy in
giving. God loves a cheerful given. Show gratitude to God and others by accepting
everything with joy. Never let anything
fill you with sorrow and make you forget the joy of the risen Christ. 1
Thess. 5:16 says to rejoice always.
Be
joyful singing and praising to God. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a
loud noise and rejoice, and sing praise.” – Ps 98:4. You don’t have to
carry a tune or have a beautiful voice to sing praises to God. God looks at our hearts and He wants us to
praise Him and be joyful when we do it.
I love
to sing in church and in the car with my radio.
I know my voice could be a lot better, but I sing joyfully from my heart
and that’s what God wants. Then one day
when I get to heaven, God will give us a beautiful voice. Until then He thinks my voice is beautiful
and that’s all that matters.
Ways to
live with joy:
Laugh a
lot and put a smile on someone’s face.
Don’t
let your thoughts get you down.
Be
thankful in all things.
Strive
for your goals and dreams - always have something to look forward to.
Be
forgiving not only to others, but to yourself.
Develop
healthy relationship with family and friends.
Do
things that lift your spirits.
Be
optimistic.
Lighten
up and don’t be too serious.
Take
time to rest and relax – take a vacation.
Pray,
read your Bible, obey God, worship and praise God.
Never
forget the source of your joy.
How
deep does your joy go?
How do
others see joy in your life?
How could
your life change to be more joyful?
“Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
Come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
And his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations.”
---
Psalm 100
Next
time we will talk more about the characteristics of the fruit of the
Spirit. We still have peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to cover. Hope to see you here.
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