The Fruit of the Spirit: JoySample

The Kingdom of God is based on His character. We see who He is in His Kingdom. In Acts 8:8, we read: “So there was great joy in that city.” This happened because Philip preached the Gospel in Samaria, and the Holy Spirit confirmed his message by miracles, signs, and wonders (Mark 16:20). The result of this manifestation of the Kingdom was a great joy! The way I read this is that there was celebration and happiness. But in the long run, we cannot keep up with that. We cannot be in a party state every day of our lives. Yesterday afternoon I walked by a house where someone had passed away that morning, making me wonder about joy in these times of difficulty. To understand how this works, we need to see what joy is based on and what it looks like to be full of joy.

On day one of this plan, we read the verse in Nehemiah 8:10, the joy of the Lord is our strength. On day two, we read about the joy of Jesus filling us to overflowing when we are part of Him, His sacrifice. And today's verse speaks about living a life of goodness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. So, the fruit of joy is based on who God is, the work of Jesus Christ, and is found in the Holy Spirit.

God never changes, the work that Jesus did never changes, and the Holy Spirit never changes. That is a solid base for our joy!

What does joy look like? The Greek dictionary gives a good view of the word. It moves from cheerfulness, which is an outward expression of joy and happiness. You find these in moments of celebration. The other description is a calm delight that has to do with an inner state of mind.

Even in the most challenging circumstances, we can experience joy as the fruit of the Spirit. Remember that Jesus spoke about joy on the evening He was arrested.

Prayer:

Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for the joy that you give in my life. Thank you that this is based on who you are. Fill me anew with your joy today, Lord. Amen!