The Fruit of the Spirit: Joy
Read:
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV): “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.“
Act:
This month we are learning about the next fruit of the Spirit – JOY!
Joy is more than just feeling really happy!
There is actually a pretty big difference between feeling happy and having joy.
Let’s firstly look at what it means to FEEL HAPPY:
Being happy is temporary and changes throughout our day depending on how we experience things, how we feel and how others treat us! In this life, we will have difficult days, but remember that if we depend on happiness to get us through those days, we will struggle! Let’s instead focus on Jesus and rely on Him!
Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.“
Secondly, what does it means to HAVE JOY?
Being full of joy is part of who we are, and it’s a gift that God has put deep inside our hearts! Joy means we choose to put all our hope in God’s promises! That means trusting Him to look after us and care for our daily needs. When we know our future is in His hands, we can be joyful through anything we face, because God is our Good Shepherd, and He loves us!
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for the gift of joy and that we can depend on it no matter what we face in our day. Help us to grow in trusting You with our future, so that we can always be filled with Your joy that strengthens us! Thank You for giving us Your Word, which reminds us that You will freely give us JOY, no matter what.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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