The “fruit of the Spirit” is what happens when the Holy Spirit dwells within a believer. The “fruit” is the product of the Holy Spirit’s cultivation of character in our hearts. Galatians 5:22-23 describes what that fruit looks like; the second characteristic listed is joy.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
Jesus said to His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). Wouldn’t you like to experience deep and enduring joy? Wouldn’t you like to be joy-full? You can.
Our world struggles with a shortage of joy and an abundance of fear, worry, discouragement and depression. Even the “pursuit of happiness” and obsessive pleasure-seeking do not bring deep and lasting joy.
Let us first understand the difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is an emotion, and God never intended for people to be in that emotional state all the time. There is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). We generally think of happiness as getting something. It is about us. But joy and happiness come much more from giving and serving than from getting.
The apostle Paul reminded his listeners that Jesus Christ had taught this very thing: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). By giving to others and serving them, it will bring us joy.
Rejoice is the verb form of joy, meaning to feel or have joy. Clearly there is great emphasis in the Bible on feeling and expressing joy. That explains why the Bible also emphasizes prayers and songs that praise (celebrate) God. We celebrate God when we go to church and joyfully sing Him songs and praises. We face many things that can steal our joy: stressful jobs, illnesses, deaths of loved ones, economic strain, daily annoyances, and frustrations. So how can we still have joy and increase it in our lives?
We must change our thinking. We can choose to be joyful! Think about everything that God has done for you and thank Him for it. As the saying goes, “Count your blessings”. Serve others and be an encouragement for them. It will bring you joy. If we truly believe what God has told us in the Bible, then we have plenty to rejoice about.
Real spiritual joy is the ability to tolerate insult and injury from someone without hating them, in the hope that they might eventually repent their sins and attain the everlasting joy of Heaven, wherein there is no hate. To do this, you start with love. Matthew 22:39 says…….”Love your neighbor as yourself.” We start with love and add in the joy that this brings. Next week, we will discuss peace.
Joy is prayer; joy is strength: joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.
Mother Teresa
