So far in this series, we've taken a closer look at some of the different kinds of Love mentioned or referenced within the Bible. From January to April we focused on Agape, Eros, Phileo and Storge. We now move on to the second thing mentioned in Galatians 5 which is Joy!
One commentary I was reading was saying that really, all the things listed after Love are just a further manifestation and by-product of it. Really, they all come under the banner of Love which is why it's "fruit" singular and not "fruits" plural. The "Fruit of the Spirit" is the same, singular work of God in every believer, manifesting itself in different ways.
To conclude May, we take a look at the fruit of Joy! How joyful it is to know the love of Christ and share that love with others! L x
Galatians 5:22-25
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Fruit Of Focus- JoyOne commentary I was reading was saying that really, all the things listed after Love are just a further manifestation and by-product of it. Really, they all come under the banner of Love which is why it's "fruit" singular and not "fruits" plural. The "Fruit of the Spirit" is the same, singular work of God in every believer, manifesting itself in different ways.
To conclude May, we take a look at the fruit of Joy! How joyful it is to know the love of Christ and share that love with others! L x
Galatians 5:22-25
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
"Gracious Father, Gentle Saviour, Lord You have been good to me.
Jesus, You have saved my soul and called me to a life that’s free!
Help me Lord, to serve Your people. Keep my heart in check, I pray.
Since I now live by the Spirit, may I walk in step each day.
Use me, Lord to bring You glory, let Your blessings now deploy;
May I bear the Spirit’s fruit and help me overflow with joy!
Let it flood to those around me, speaking of Your love and grace.
May it light the inner heart of every person in this place.
Let my joy remain through battles whether they be lost or won,
Knowing it is founded on the finished work of Christ, the Son!
He has bought my soul it’s pardon, He has saved me from my sin.
Joy remains through every season for my joy is found in Him."
Nehemiah 8:10
“Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Acts 16:20-25
“And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”
Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”
Food For Thought
There’s a common misconception about Christianity as the media and popular culture often depict the life of the child of God to be full of gloom and misery. The idea that a life lived for the devil is nothing but fun while the Christian is stuck in a boring, joyless existence couldn’t be further from the truth! Here we see from Scripture, that one of the fruits of having the Spirit of God within your heart is in fact, joy!
Not to be mixed up with the fleeting and often fickle emotion called happiness, joy is greatly superior and vastly deeper in nature. True joy is not based on our circumstances and can remain through trial and trouble. It’s not reliant on our current situations because as I mentioned in the poem, joy is founded on God Himself.
This is the joy that we can hear ringing through the Scriptures in Acts 16 when Paul and Silas are beaten and imprisoned for casting a demon out of a young girl, from whom others were making a financial profit.
In spite of their dire circumstances, these two men had a joy in their hearts that surpassed the situation and led them to a place where they could actually pray and sing praises to God in the midst of the trial.
Their untouchable, divine joy was so evident that it witnessed and spread to others, even leading to the prison guard giving his life to Jesus too. This is the kind of joy that only Christ can give us. A joy that declares God is bigger than our circumstances and reigns over all situations in life. A joy that remains seated on the truth that no matter what we go through, we have the promise of God’s help through every season in this life with the secure hope of salvation in the next!
A joy that says, “I am a child of God, bought by the blood of Jesus and nothing on this earth will ever change that. I am His.”
This is the joy that is impactful, influential and contagious to those around us!
As Charles Spurgeon once said, “Believers are not dependent upon circumstances. Their joy comes not from what they have, but from what they are; not from where they are, but from whose they are; not from what they enjoy, but from that which was suffered for them by their Lord.” (Italics mine)
Questions For Personal Reflection
Does the joy of the Lord reign in my heart today? Have my circumstances been robbing me of my joy recently? If so, why is this? Have I lost sight of God or got my focus onto worldly issues? Have I been bringing my troubles before the Throne of God in prayer and trusting Him with the outcome?
Can I think of a time in my life when I had an unshakeable joy that countered the difficulty of my circumstances? Is there someone in my life who always seeks to share the joy of the Lord with the people around them? How can I share the joy of the Lord with those in my life today?