40 Days Pondering the Fruit of the Spirit
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 3 | JOY
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 3 | JOY
JOY
Galatians 5:22
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY…”
Today we move on to the Spiritual Fruit of JOY.
In Greek, JOY is “chara” (pronounced khar-ah’), and Strong’s concordance says it is used in the Bible for: “joy,” “gladness,” or “a source of joy.”
After Jesus was born, Matthew tells us that “wise men from the East came” wanting to see the Baby and went first to Herod. After that meeting, Matthew writes: “… and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy!” (Matthew 2:9-10)
The word used for JOY here is “chara,” and the “exceeding great joy” gives a fuller feeling for this Fruit of the Spirit.
Given the world today, is there anyone you know that would NOT like to have more JOY in their life? (Frankly, I don’t know anyone.) I mean, what is the opposite of JOY?
The dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: DELIGHT or the expression or exhibition of such emotion.”
Conversely, antonyms (the opposite) for joy are calamity, ill-being, misery, sadness, and unhappiness. (Anyone want those emotions?)
So, what are we saying? That the Spiritual Fruit of JOY (chara) is something we ALL want… and we do NOT want the opposite of JOY.
So then, for the Child of God, who has the Holy Spirit inside them, the Fruit of JOY is there too and just needs to be… enjoyed! If you’re NOT experiencing as much JOY in your life as you’d like, check your walk with the Lord and make sure you are walking and living the Christian life that HE wants for you.
Prayer: LORD, I do desire more JOY in my life. Please show me where I need to change so that that fruit – and the others – is manifested more regularly in my life. Amen.
Galatians 5:22
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY…”
Today we move on to the Spiritual Fruit of JOY.
In Greek, JOY is “chara” (pronounced khar-ah’), and Strong’s concordance says it is used in the Bible for: “joy,” “gladness,” or “a source of joy.”
After Jesus was born, Matthew tells us that “wise men from the East came” wanting to see the Baby and went first to Herod. After that meeting, Matthew writes: “… and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy!” (Matthew 2:9-10)
The word used for JOY here is “chara,” and the “exceeding great joy” gives a fuller feeling for this Fruit of the Spirit.
Given the world today, is there anyone you know that would NOT like to have more JOY in their life? (Frankly, I don’t know anyone.) I mean, what is the opposite of JOY?
The dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: DELIGHT or the expression or exhibition of such emotion.”
Conversely, antonyms (the opposite) for joy are calamity, ill-being, misery, sadness, and unhappiness. (Anyone want those emotions?)
So, what are we saying? That the Spiritual Fruit of JOY (chara) is something we ALL want… and we do NOT want the opposite of JOY.
So then, for the Child of God, who has the Holy Spirit inside them, the Fruit of JOY is there too and just needs to be… enjoyed! If you’re NOT experiencing as much JOY in your life as you’d like, check your walk with the Lord and make sure you are walking and living the Christian life that HE wants for you.
Prayer: LORD, I do desire more JOY in my life. Please show me where I need to change so that that fruit – and the others – is manifested more regularly in my life. Amen.