Fruit of the Spirit - Joy

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” – Galatians 5:22-23  

 

         Since we’ve covered ‘love’ as a fruit of the spirit about as completely as it can be covered in blog form we shall move on to ‘joy’. Let’s start by looking at a generic, secular definition of the word ‘joy’: “1a) the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: delight. b) the expression or exhibition of such emotion: gaiety. 2) a state of happiness or felicity: bliss. 3) a source or cause of delight. joy.” ⁽¹⁾

            Rick Warren ⁽²⁾ adds his own definition: “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.”

            There is a difference between joy and happiness. “Happiness is an emotion in which we ‘experience feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense pleasure,’ whereas joy ‘is a stronger, less common feeling than happiness.’ We experience joy when we achieve selflessness to the point of personal sacrifice.” ⁽³⁾ “The joy referred to here is deeper than mere happiness; it is rooted in God and comes from Him. Since it comes from God, it is more serene and stable than worldly happiness, which merely emotional and lasts only for a time.” ⁽⁴⁾

            Lisa Leonard, Christian blogger, had this to say about “choosing joy”: “Choosing joy means letting go of the things I can't control–which is most things. Choosing joy means having compassion for others, with all their strengths and weaknesses, and having compassion for myself. Choosing joy means forgiving others and forgiving myself. There is so much forgiveness, so much grace.” ⁽⁵⁾

            The Bible says this: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Romans 15:13

                  Next time we will take a look at ‘peace’, until then walk with the King and be a blessing!

In His Name & for His Glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

 

 ⁽¹⁾ Joy | Definition of Joy by Merriam-Webster

⁽²⁾  Rick Warren is the Senior Pastor at Saddleback Church in California. He is the author of the best selling book ‘The Purpose-Driven Life’.

⁽³⁾  Taken from: https://www.islandpacket.com › living › religion › article33609807

⁽⁴⁾  Taken from: https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Fruit_of_the_Holy_Spirit

⁽⁵⁾  Taken from Lisa’s blog entry: https://www.lisaleonard.com › blog › choose-joy › choose-joy