Today, eight ladies and I are writing a series based on the Fruits of the Spirit taken from Galatians 5:22-23. We pray that the topics discussed will inspire and encourage you to draw closer to God as you endeavor to walk in the Spirit. This is my small part of the conversation, Joy.
I love to sing to my children. And over the years I have enjoyed making up little songs to give to them bits of truth. One such song was on Joy. As a part of the verse it says,
“Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, given from the Father above.
Joy is a gift to His children, given to them in love!”
The finding of happiness seems to be that which most in our society are bent towards. It seems that instead of man’s chief end being to glorify God and enJOY him forever, most think their chief end is to glorify self and pursue as much happiness as possible.
But are happiness and joy the same thing? I would challenge you that they are not.
The Lord has said true joy it is a gift of the Spirit. If it is a gift of His Spirit, then it must be of great value and that which we should seek His face for.
But what is joy, we might wonder?
If you look up in the modern dictionary the definition of joy you will see something like this…
Joy is the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure;elation.
Step back to another time when our society went deeper than the here and now and we have a little closer idea of what joy might be. From Websters 1828:
But true joy, this gift from the Holy Spirit can be found amist pain…amidst suffering…and yes, even amidst tears.
We have the beautiful example of this in our Savior.
“…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The Lord Jesus could behold His sufferings and even welcome them…for the JOY that was set before Him. The JOY of His Father’s pleasure. The JOY of redeeming His bride to Himself. The JOY of completing the great work of redemption and glory. Did He not indeed have, as the dictionary says, the present possession and future consideration of the highest good?
We too can have joy in the midst of our sorrows. Because in the haze of the fog of affliction, in the storm of the fiery trial, we have the present possession and future consideration of the highest Good. Goodness Himself! To have Christ is to have all! He holds our hand through the furnace.
So, in our weeping, there can still be joy. Even if our world is crumbling around us, if we possess the Lord Jesus, if He is our Beloved and we are His… then there can be a deep, tranquil joy bubbling up. It springs up, so silently, quietly, sweetly in our hearts.
Have you ever felt this kind of joy?
This true joy is founded…
~ in the Rock which is immovable
~ Him which is immortal
~ His truth which is unchangeable
~ His wisdom which is infallible and His love which is unquenchable.
May the Lord give us, by His Spirit, this beautiful fruit of Joy.
Please join the following ladies as they share their heart with you!
Women Living Well, Raising Homemakers. Women of Noble Character, Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood, Simply Homemaking, Titus2sdays,Domestically Divine, Womanly Ways Wednesdays, Works for Me Wednesdays,
How can I find joy in the mess that threatens to overwhelm me as a mother? My newly released ebook “Embracing the Mess” fits in with our topic of Joy today.