The Fruit of the Spirit: JoySample

I want to go to the Old Testament on the first day, exploring the fruit of joy. The context of the verse that we just read at the beginning is that Ezra is reading the law to the people after they returned from being exiled for years. The hearing of the law produced sorrow in the hearts of the Israelites, for they realized how far they were removed from God’s ways. Instead of rebuking them, Ezra encourages the Israelites to celebrate and to have a feast with rich foods and sweet drinks. Ezra finishes the verse by saying, don’t be grieved, don’t be sad, don't be dejected, because the joy of the Lord is your strength. The joy of the Lord is the reason for their feast! This doesn’t seem to make sense. So, what does it mean, and how does it work?

Do you remember the moment you gave your life to the Lord? At that moment, you felt grief because you felt your sinfulness, and most probably, at the same time, you felt the joy of receiving salvation through Christ.

Receiving salvation is receiving the identity God sees in you and gives you. That joy is an expression of God about who you are. It is accepting the joyful songs the Lord sings over you (Zeph. 3:17). In Luke 15, we read the story of the lost sheep. When the shepherd finds the sheep, he throws a party! That speaks to me about the Lord's joy when He reconnects with the Israelites, like He did in in the time of Nehemiah, and how He does today with every person who comes to Him.

When we look at the fruit of joy, we see this in the heart of God. We can become part of it through His Son Jesus, who empowers joy in us through the Holy Spirit.

It is good to pray with David from Psalm 51, “Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and renew your Spirit within me.”