Fruit of the Spirit

"JOY"
A FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Meditation

What does "Fruit of the Spirit mean?" Do you ever wonder about the "Fruits of the Spirit" and their meaning? There are a lot of wonderful teachings in these various blessings of the Spirit. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, the "Holy Spirit" begins the work of changing our sin led lives into "God led" lives. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Salvation is for anyone who shall call upon the name of the Lord Jesus (John 3:16). Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Be born again!" It doesn't matter what special church you go to or what rituals you perform, Jesus said this and it is from the Holy Bible. If you are born again, you will see Heaven because you believe. The Holy Spirit comes to you and starts leading you down the path of righteousness. The Holy Spirit brings about a change in people with their Ambitions, Attitudes, Actions, Affections and Emotions. Every area of our lives begins to change when we "sincerely" follow the Lord.

In the Bible, productivity is described as fruit. A strong tree produces lots of fruit. If it does not produce fruit, it is useless and will be cut down. When we accept Christ as Lord of our life and are determined to live according to His directions, we begin to receive and experience certain gifts from Him. The Bible describes this as the Fruit of the Spirit.

The Bible talks about two kinds Joy’s Psalm 4:7 speaks of God putting more joy in our hearts that is inward joy. Than the happiness that others get from great material successes this is outward joy. Outward happiness comes from pleasant circumstances and good fortune. When we get a new car or the promotion we want, happiness covers up discouragement for a short time. It is temporary and unpredictable. When our happiness is based on circumstance we are destined for a roller coaster ride. The highs are exciting and we feel we are on top of the world, but all too soon we are falling into the depths of discouragement.

Inward joy comes from knowing and trusting God and is based on His presence within us. It is steady and lasting. This joy defeats discouragement Jesus describes inward joy in Matthew 5:3-12, a passage we call the Beatitudes (be-at-ti-toods). He uses the word ‘blessed’ to describe experiencing joy that is independent of outside circumstances. Blessed is that calm and secure state of those who are in God’s kingdom.

• Jesus says we are blessed when we are at the end of our rope, because then God can rule in our lives.
• We are blessed when we mourn a loss because then God can comfort us.
• We are blessed when we are content with just what we have.
• We are blessed when we hunger and thirst for God, because He brings true satisfaction.
• We are blessed when we care about and take care of others because then God will take care of us.
• We are blessed when we are pure in heart. (This is being free of sin because we have accepted Jesus’ payment for it.) Then we will see God. We begin to see God working in our world.
• We are blessed when we get along with others and cooperate instead of fighting or competing because then we discover our place in God’s kingdom.
• We are blessed when we are so committed to God that we are persecuted. Persecution forces us to become closer to God.