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Fruitful – Joy

 

This week I’m continuing a blog series on the fruit of the Spirit. I’m excited about this series and I’m believing God that we continue to be FRUITFUL! So this week let’s talk about The Fruit of the Spirit – Joy.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.-Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

“Do what makes you happy. Whatever makes you happy, go for it! Happiness is the key to life. Don’t worry, be happy! If he doesn’t make you happy, then move on!” These are the kinds of statements that society and culture has told us; that happiness is what matters most. These statements aren’t truth, they are feel good sentiments. The problem is happiness is an emotion. Happiness can come and go depending on exterior circumstance. If we are just moving towards what makes us happy then we are moving towards disappointment. News Flash: We aren’t always going to be happy. People will let us down, leadership will let us down, our spouse will let us down, our kids will let us down, our life may let us down…. so is happiness really the goal? Some say, “If I had more money, I’d be happy.” The problem is there are many rich and famous people who’ve committed suicide because they didn’t find happiness. Money won’t make you happy, it will just make you more comfortable in your misery. Happiness comes and goes like a warm summer breeze.

Happiness is often mistaken with joy. Joy and happiness might be closely related but they are actually very different. Happiness takes place in your soul. Your soul is your mind, will, and emotions. So when you experience something fun or exciting your soulish response is happiness. But what about when you experience something that is frustrating or disappointing, well then you experience sadness in your emotions; also known as your soul. We are made up of a trichotomy. We are a spirit, we have a soul, we live in a body. As believers, it’s vital for us to understand that our souls are what Jesus came to save and when we get saved our spirits are where the Holy Spirit takes residence, and our bodies, well they are just the vehicle to get us to our destiny. So when something good happens to us we feel happiness in our soul.

Let’s look at the Apostle Paul, “the joyful jailbird” as I like to put it. He was jailed for preaching the gospel and while he was on house arrest for two years in Rome, Paul’s Roman incarceration produced three great letters to the churches of Ephesus, Colosse, and Philippi, as well as a personal letter to his friend Philemon. His other two-year imprisonment, in Caesarea, afforded him no such luxuries but the letter to the Philippians is what I want to zero in on in this post.

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all.” -Philippians 1:3-4
“I rejoice and share my joy with you all.” -Philippians 2:17
“Rejoice in the Lord.” -Philippians 3:1
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” -Philippians 4:4

The Apostle Paul spoke about joy not happiness. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. This means it is only experienced in our spirit which is what should override our soul basically our joy should override our emotions. Joy is a permanent attitude. It is what keeps us moving forward when all else seems to have gone to crap. Joy is something different. Joy is when everything seems to being going to hell but I praise Him anyway! I reJOICE because of who God is! I give Him praise in my most dire of circumstances! Joy is when I don’t know how things are going to turn out but I have faith that God is a good Father and He will turn it out for my favor! This is joy. Joy is where we should live as believers. It is a fruit that is grown through tough situations and maybe even continuous heartache. Joy is what puts a smile on our face when there’s no reason to smile. Whatever you are going through right now, please believe me joy will get you through it. Joy is more than a fruit it is actual strength that will make sure you make it!

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” -Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJV)

Nehemiah encourages us to stay in joy because it is something that will keep us going. No matter what you experience this week, remember that joy will keep things alright in your world.

Stay in JOY!

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Stop Giving the Best of You Away

Is someone getting the best of you?

When we say, “someone is getting the best of us”, it’s usually not a good situation. It means that someone is getting us to a place of frustration, anger, bitterness or something else other than a positive emotion. The best of us is the God in us. The fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; these are the best of us. The only way anyone could possibly get the best of us is if we give it to them. There may be situations that make us happy but true joy comes from God. Joy isn’t an emotion but a fruit. It’s a permanent attitude that remains regardless of what happens in our life. The fruit of the Spirit should never change in our life, these should be constant. Don’t ever let something take your fruit. Your fruit is your strength in life.

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” -Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV

No matter what happens to us we are in control of our fruit, our emotions, and our attitude. No one can “make” you anything. No one can make you mad. No one can make you sad. No one can make you depressed or anything else. We have complete control over one thing; ourself. So why on earth would we give the one thing we are in control over to someone else? This precious fruit that God is growing in our lives is something that we don’t give away. We display fruit but I argue that it is to valuable to give away. Let’s reserve the best of us, for those who bring out the best IN us. Although, those who don’t bring out the best in us still may enjoy the fruit of the Spirit on our lives. However, by no means should we give it to them. It’s just too valuable.

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

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Dark Night of the Soul

God is there even when we can’t feel Him.

One of the most influential people in our time was Mother Theresa. Yet she experienced what many researchers have coined, “the dark night of the soul.” The concept was one that left Mother Theresa feeling like God had abandoned her, as if He wasn’t near to her anymore. She couldn’t feel God for a season of her life. This was one of the most loving, compassionate people to walk the face of the earth; she had saved the lives of hundreds of children throughout the world, yet she had felt God had left her life. Now theologically we know God is omnipresent. He is always with us but that doesn’t mean we can feel His presence.

In the darkness . . . Lord, my God, who am I that you should forsake me? The child of your love — and now become as the most hated one. The one — you have thrown away as unwanted — unloved. I call, I cling, I want, and there is no one to answer . . . Where I try to raise my thoughts to heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul. Love — the word — it brings nothing. I am told God lives in me — and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul. -Mother Theresa

At some point in your life as a Christian, if you’ve walked with God at length, we can feel that God has forsaken us or abandoned us. It happened to Jesus and we are not better than our Master so at some point it may happen to us.

About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). -Matthew 27:46 NIV

When the dark night season approaches, take heart and don’t lose your faith because it is your faith that will get you through it. Your faith is what will strengthen you. Jesus was hanging on a cross between two thieves and he had a feeling that God left Him yet God the Father was right there. Jesus had faith in His Father realizing that God had a plan and regardless of the scorn, shame, and condemnation that was laid upon Him on the cross. Just because we FEEL that way does not mean that it has happened. Feelings are fickle. Faith is what matters most.

Our emotions which make up one third of our soul (mind, will, emotions) are a huge part of what will either keep us in the dark night or what will help us see the dawning of a new day. Our mind and will have huge implications also. We must submit our will to God’s will and we must keep our thoughts on God and His love for us.

So why does this happen? Why do we have to go through this dark season anyway? There are a number of reasons but as one who’s experienced it, for me it was to deepen my trust in God. My faith and trust in God grew stronger and I do remember when the season came to a close. I was in Sunday morning worship and I worshipped just the same as I always did. As I lifted my hands God’s presence overwhelmed me in the most powerful way and just like that… I felt Him again. As I look back I realize that His presence is something I hold so dear and even currently I crave His presence more than ever.

Even when we don’t feel Him, He is there. Don’t lose hope and don’t give up.