Joy…a part of the Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) ~ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law.

JOY!!!!!!!!!!!
What does the word JOY mean to you? What does it make you think of? Does it make you think of good times with friends or family? Perhaps it makes you think of a beautiful sunshiny day, a day at the beach, a newborn baby, a cuddly puppy, a fun day of fishing or hunting, or even a yummy slice of homemade cake or pie !!! 🙂

Truth is that those things are all great…but they are not what JOY is about. The “things” I mentioned above are “things” that can make you happy….but happiness and joy are not the same.
Have you ever heard it said that happiness depends on your circumstances? It is the truth..you can be happy but still not have joy. It is also the truth that you can still have joy when it seems like you should have nothing to be happy about due to your current circumstances.

True Joy comes from knowing that even when you feel like the trials you face feel like the end of the world, that you have a Savior who is just waiting for you to turn to Him…He is waiting with open arms to rescue you and guide you. Jesus is the only one who never changes and will love you no matter what. Matthew 11:28 ~ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

A great way to remember the word JOY (something my mother-in-law says) J- is for Jesus, O- is for others, and Y- is for yourself. So…Jesus first, then others, and yourself last. Hmmm…sounds like this is another “unselfish” aspect of the fruit of the Spirit.

I can’t say the word JOY without thinking of the childhood song: I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart..down in my heart..down in my heart………to stay and I’m so happy, so very happy…I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart… 🙂
Joy ~ Rejoice….
Philippians 4:4 ~ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice!

1 Peter 4:12-13 ~ Beloved do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

James 1:2-3 ~ My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

In this life, we are guaranteed some heartache and pain…but we have to remember the pain and suffering that Jesus endured for you and me. Hebrews 11:3~ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Life is filled with ups(happiness) & downs( sadness, despair), but with Jesus as your rock you can rest assured that you will still have JOY! I believe that one of the best things you can do when you feel like you have nothing to rejoice about is to start praying for others and quit focusing on yourself. You will begin to see what JOY really is about. Jesus, Others, and then Yourself.

When the Lord leads me, I will share about the next aspect of the fruit of the Spirit… Peace.
Thanks so much for stopping by…my hope and my prayer is to reach more people for Christ, and to share with you just how much He loves you!

I love quotes…here’s one I’ll share with you:
Joy is not in things; it is in us. ~ Richard Wagner

Until Next Time!

Heather Dawkins 🙂