THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: JOY!

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: JOY!

Gal 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

          The Greek word for “joy” is chara and means: “gladness, cheerfulness and calm delight.” It is the calm delight that seems to be missing from our hearts these days. Most of us are happy with happiness which is the result of happenings or circumstances of life. Joy transcends happiness and exists often without the support of favorable circumstances.

          As with the other individual fruit human effort tries to duplicate or counterfeit joy. We said that a machine in a factory works, and builds a product, but it can never manufacture fruit! Fruit is born of life. A tin or plastic form of joy might be produced by the machinery of human effort but joy rises from deep within. The difference is like the water from the well at Samaria.

John 4:13-15

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

          The joy that this world offers must be always refreshed and it evaporates in the heat of adversity. The joy of the spirit bubbles up from a heart that has been reconciled to God. I can think of nothing better than to know that my sins are forgiven and that, whether my life is full of pleasure or pain, the end of it all is heaven.

Dear Lord, deep down in a brightly lit secret place I have overflowing joy. Thank you for this sweet fruit of your spirit. AMEN