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Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Joy the 2nd part of the Fruit of the Spirit
The next part of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. Now joy is an emotion some might use happy, to describe joy. As happiness can be part of joy; joy is more than happy. For happy has to do with emotion of circumstances / situations... but other circumstances/ situations could bring sadness another emotion. Joy though can be in both, for the Christian. For joy is not that we have an attitude that things can only get better or at least this has not happened...
In the old testament joy is expressed when a child is born, marriage, pleasures in marriage, provision of the harvest, feasting... As we read the Psalms we see that joy is linked to the works of God and the hope that is in God. Which brings us to the New Testament. Let's go to Mark 1:9-11 this is when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Verse 11 "and a voice came out of the heavens 'You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.'" This is joy, see our God is not a God without emotion. In Luke 1:46-48 Mary the mother of Jesus says this "My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." What we all need to know is that our joy is in Jesus the Son of God. In John 15 Jesus teaches about abiding in the true vine and at the end He says, "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that my joy may be made full." For us our joy comes from Jesus and our joy is in Jesus. Remember it also involves what Jesus has done for us... Who He is... Where He is... What He will do.. What He says we are...
One last thought in James 1:2-3 "Consider it all joy, my Brethren, when you encounter various trials(temptations), knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." So for us as Christians joy is not only in the good times our joy in Jesus goes through the bad times also knowing that it is to be doing a work in us... Do you have Jesus? Are you letting the joy we have in Him show? One more thing when someone is going through various trials... do not Judge... look down upon... condemn.... but realize that God is working in their lives... Show joy and pray for them...
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