Galatians 5:22 (KJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
What exactly does joy mean? What was the writer of Galatians saying when he was talking about this fruit of the spirit?
Joy can be defined as gladness and delight. It can also be said to be a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
Going through the bible, we can define joy to be a feeling of good pleasure and happiness. This feeling is dependent on who Jesus is, not on who we are or what we are experiencing around us.
Joy comes from the Holy Spirit, abiding in God’s presence and from hope in His word.
Dear children, understand that joy is not found in possession, activities or other people. Joy is found in God, in His presence, in His spirit and in who He is.
As children, learn to be joyful in all circumstances. Never allow your countenance to be down. You should always exhibit this priceless fruit of the spirit wherever you find yourself.
As parents, let us learn to affirm our children as this will also be a source of encouragement to them even as they strive to be more joyful, by the spirit.
Prayer: Lord, help me to live a life of joy; Amen.
Action point: Ask for the spirit of joy
Declaration: I am a joyful child. I have the spirit of joy in me.
The next fruit of the Spirit we will be considering is peace. Not just peace, but the peace of God.
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws. – Gal 5:22-23 [TLB]
There is a story in the bible that explains the concept of peace perfectly. Let me try to summarize it.
A certain man was travelling in a boat with his friends one faithful day. The journey was smooth until all of a sudden, a mighty storm arose.
The friends of this man began to tremble and fear, wondering if it would be the end of their lives.
Out of trepidation, they woke him up and asked him to come salvage the situation.
Listen to what he did;
And He got up and [sternly] rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still (muzzled)!” And the wind died down [as if it had grown weary] and there was [at once] a great calm [a perfect peacefulness]. – Mark 4:39 [AMP]
Wow! A superman isn’t he? Well, it happened exactly how he said. The wind ceased and the seas stopped.
What do you do when you feel there is absence of peace? Don’t just embrace it as a norm, rebuke it, just like that man did.
May God help you to embrace the peace of God. Amen
Prayer: Pray that God will help you embrace his peace.
The second fruit listed in our text as a fruit of the spirit is Joy. Therefore today, we would be seeking to understand the force of joy.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23
Joy is a force. Joy is a spirit. Joy is that which comes from within.
There is a huge difference between happiness and joy. While the former is as a result of external happenstances, joy is something you engage in from your inner man.
That was why Apostle Paul said:
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Joy is not dependent on what’s going in or around you.
Joy is not interested on your mid-term report sheet.
Joy can be expressed in shouts, jumps, laughter, and dance.
So my dear children, do all you can to make sure the joy of the Lord is evident in you.
In the next few days, we will be taking a series on the fruit of the Spirit. This is very important to us as children that it dictates and gives direction to our lives.
There are nine fruits of the spirit as recorded in the fifth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatian church
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws. – Gal 5:22-23 [TLB]
Here, Paul, the Apostle is telling us what will become of our lives when we allow the Holy Spirit control our lives.
My question to you this morning is this;
Is your life controlled by the Holy Spirit? Do you live according to the dictates of the flesh? Are you spirit-led all the time?
Do not think this topic is for adults alone. The earlier you start yielding to and being controlled by the Holy Spirit, even from a tender age, the better.
Gal 5:22-24 [GNT] But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these.
From tomorrow, we will take these fruits one after the other and see how we can get the best from them.
