Nehemiah 8:10f- “…the
joy of the Lord is
your strength.”
Joy is more than “whoopty doo”. Joy is also very different from happiness.
Joy is our stability in the midst of any and all circumstances. Joy is the
thing that will sustain us and carry us through difficult situations.
While in prison awaiting trial, Paul was kept strong; rooted
and grounded in the Lord because of joy. (Philippians 1: 3-4). How is that possible? It’s possible because
the joy of the Lord affects the mind. It then trickles down to your body making
you vibrant, well, and yielded to God. (Proverbs 17:22-NAS).
Joy is the result (fruit) of the Spirit living within us if
Jesus has been made the Lord of our lives.
Since God has planted His very nature in us, our job is to walk in that
joy and to develop it by exercising it in our lives. We do that by prayer and
building our relationship with God.
Jesus said, “Ask and
you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”
(John 16:24b). Ask! Get to know God and His word. Praise God
in spite of your circumstances. Allow the Lord to transform your life through
joy.
So glad to know someone out there is reading this. Thank you for responding!!! Best of all...glad you love it.
ReplyDeleteI wish the term "Fruit of the Spirit" would conjure up warfare and mighty warrior stuff rather than bananas or watermelon or grapes.