Joy

We're beginning a series on joy at the church that I am really excited about. Interesting enough the primary Greek word used for joy in the New Testament, chara and the word we translate as grace, charis, both come from the root word chairo. This word, as with many Greek words, has a number of meanings. It was used as a salutation or greeting. It also means to rejoice or be glad, but it also means to be well or thrive.

Too many times we live a life of trying to get by when God has so much more for us. In John 10:10 Jesus even said that He came that we would have life and have it more abundantly. That doesn't mean we'll never go through stress or hard times or trouble. It does mean we should be living a life of meaning and purpose.

In Romans 14:17 Paul wrote that "the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." If you read earlier in the chapter you see that Paul was responding to a controversy over food and observances of ritual. He was trying to get them off of focusing on things that don't matter and on what is real. Righteousness, peace, and joy come though Jesus. We so easily get our priorities out of whack and wonder why we are stressed out and overwhelmed.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and is an outworking of our fellowship with the Lord. Joy sets us free to be who God would have us to be. It changes us and transforms us. It helps us to lay down our defensiveness and insecurity and helps us to get outside of ourselves and focus on others. Joy is powerful and ever so necessary in this life. Joy will help us to thrive and to live life well.

The Fruit Test

"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)

The fruit of the Spirit is outward evidence of our walk with God. When the conditions are right a tree produces fruit naturally. It doesn't have to strain and make fruit occur. If the soil is good and it gets the proper amount of rain and sunlight it will produce fruit. A healthy tree produces good fruit.

Likewise, when our walk with the Lord is healthy fruit is produced! The list in Galatians 5:22-23 provides a wonderful checklist for our lives. If something is missing what is the problem? It won't be God, it will be me. If I don't have peace or joy, why not? I can then talk to the Lord and see where I'm missing Him or if the problem is some kind of external stress He can help me deal with that also! We have an awesome Heavenly Father.

Our Spiritual Barometer

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)

The fruit of the Spirit listed here is a great spiritual barometer. If these characteristics are not being manifested in my life, why not? They are called the fruit of the Spirit for a reason. They are a direct outworking of our walk with the Lord. When we're spending time with the Lord and in the Word of God and doing things that encourage and build us up we will see the outworking of that fellowship in our lives. When we're not we'll see an outworking there too but it won't be exactly what we want. Our first and foremost calling is to know God. When that relationship is healthy then other things seem to better fall into line. That doesn't mean we'll have a perfect stress free life -- there's no such thing -- it does mean we'll be better equipped to deal with what comes along.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

Abundance

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have [it] more abundantly." (John 10:10)

There is plenty of stress out there to go around but, thankfully, there are plenty of wonderful promises from the Word of God to go around too. What is abundant life? Too often, I think we tend to think about this in terms of money but there is so much more. Money won't buy you peace. An awful lot of rich people have lived and died in abject misery. That doesn't make money bad either -- it's the love of money that becomes the problem. Money is just a tool.

I think true abundance is really found in our relationship with Him. In knowing, walking and trusting. True abundance is found in a heart that is at peace and able to rest. Hebrews 4:9 tells us that "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God." Peace is listed as a fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5. Life is too short to spend it stressed out and yet, that's what so many of us do.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1) NIV