Joy

We are continuing our study of the Fruit of the Spirit. They are found in Galatians 5:22-23. The Fruit of the Spirit are important, because it is by them that other people see that we belong to the Lord. “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:16-20.

*Love*Joy*Peace*Longsuffering*Gentleness*Goodness*Faith*

*Meekness*Temperance*

This week, we are taking a look at joy. Read the definition.

Definition of Joy: Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness. The expression or manifestation of such feeling.

Joy is not just plain old happiness; it is something much deeper than that. Joy is something you can have even when things are going badly, even though you’re not happy at that moment. Unlike some of the other fruits of the Spirit, joy is not something you can practice, or work harder at. It’s something you just have. Or don’t have. However, there are ways to get more!

How do we get joy? There are various events in our life that bring us joy, like getting married and having babies, but we’re talking about the Joy that comes from the Lord; the Fruit of the Spirit Joy. We first receive joy when we get saved; repenting of our sins and asking forgiveness from the Lord fills us with great joy. Read Psalm 51 right now. Look what King David said about it in verse 12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” This was after he had sinned by taking Uriah’s wife and having him killed. David knew that if the Lord cleansed him from his sin, he would have joy again. Look what else he said about this, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11. We have to have our sins removed to be in God’s presence, and look how wonderful it is! The Apostle Paul also told us what our joy is, in Romans 5:11, “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” Neither David nor Paul had easy, carefree lives. David had wars, royal-family intrigues, and enemies, yet even with all that, he had joy from the Lord! Paul spent his time traveling by very grueling means, preaching and starting churches, writing lengthy letters to his followers, and trying to stay alive. He wasn’t always successful at the latter, having died once and come back. He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned, and wound up getting executed, but look what he told one of the churches he wrote to: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” I Thes. 2:19. Even with all that, his joy was in serving the Lord, knowing that at Jesus’ return, he would be in the Lord’s presence.

Just like a peach tree, as we get older (more mature in Christ), the amount of fruit we are able to produce increases. So, as we get more knowledge and wisdom, and more experience in the Lord, other things will add to our joy. When we first get saved, we have such a hunger for the things of God, and just want to devour His Word. Hearing the Bible preached, as well as studying it on our own, and memorizing it adds to our joy. “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jer. 15:16. See what Jesus Himself told us “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11.

Another thing that adds to our joy is having a need, and receiving help from the Lord. “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24. Jesus told us that if we need something, all we have to do is ask God, in Jesus name, and He will grant it to us, and we will have full joy! Of course, this does not include lottery winnings and things like that. We still can’t ask for stuff to “consume it on our own lusts”. But that’s a different lesson!

As a parent, I can assure you that these next two scripture verses are so true! “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 1:4. “The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.” Prov. 23:24. Likewise, having a child that is not serving the Lord, not walking in truth, and making foolish choices, is a heartbreaking and grievous thing for a parent.

There are numerous passages in the Bible that speak of joy, many of them dealing with the expression of that joy, primarily through praise, singing, dancing (to the Lord!), etc. Let’s take a good look at ourselves this week. Do we have joy in our souls, even in the midst of troubles. Do we let cares of this life steal our joy from us? The devil takes pleasure in stealing our joy, which is another reason to resist him and make him flee! Read what King David had to say in Psalm 5:11, “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” This is what David and his people did when they were getting things together for Solomon to build the temple: “Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.” I Chron. 29:9. King David was a praising man; that is evidenced by the Psalms that he wrote also. He obviously had great joy, in spite of his troubles, because he wrote about it a lot. Lesson to be learned: PRAISE THE LORD! It is a fact of human nature that our feelings follow our actions, at least most of the time. If you don’t feel like doing something, and act as if you do, your feelings will usually turn around and you will end up feeling like it. In other words, even if you aren’t feeling especially worshipful, praise the Lord anyway, and you will feel it shortly! You don’t have to jump around and make a spectacle of yourself to praise Him. Take time each day this week to worship the Lord. Thank Him for all the great things He’s given you and done for you. Tell Him how wonderful He is; He loves to hear it, and even has special angels in Heaven whose only job is to tell Him how good and holy He is. Don’t have a hunger in your heart for the Bible any more? Read it anyway! The more you get into it, the tastier it is. David said it was sweeter also than honey in the honeycomb, and Honey, that’s sweet! Need help resisting the devil? The joy of the Lord is our strength!

CHALLENGE: Let’s keep working on expressing love this week, and let’s seek more Joy from the Lord. Pray today and ask Him for it! Make sure you aren’t carrying around unrepented sins; have to get rid of those to get the joy. Worship the Lord daily; you can do this in song too, as long as you really mean it and aren’t just repeating words. Dig into the Bible daily; this is your food source. How long can your body go without eating, a couple days? Don’t let your soul starve to death! Starving peach trees do not make fruit!