to 

Chapel 
and our theme:

"Living and Enjoying the Fruit of the Spirit"

Day 3

Fruit:  JOY

Day Verse:

"Now are ye clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except in abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me." (John 15:3, 4)

To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be controlled by the Spirit.  If our characters lack Christ-like qualities--the fruit of the Spirit--we aren't fulfilling our purpose as branches abiding in the Vine.  Perhaps the part of the cluster most Christians lack in is joy.  And that ought not to be, for right after Christ likened Himself to a vine and His disciples to branches He said, "These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:11)

Why are so many Christians "sad sacks," looking for all the world as if they could pose for an appropriate frontispiece to the book of Lamentations?  It's because they don't put the Lord first in their lives.  They don't give Him all of themselves.  The Lord demands and deserves first place in our affections.  Unless He is "Lord of all, He is not Lord at all."  He wants to be to you and me all that He was to the psalmist--our "exceeding joy."
(Psalm 43:4)

Clapping hands has always been an expression of joy and appreciation.  The psalmist, to show his love for the Lord and his joy in belonging to Him, exclaimed, "O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.  For the Lord most high...is a great King over all the earth" (Psalm 47:1, 2)

But the Lord can be our "exceeding joy" only if we go to His Word every day, for the correction and the instruction we need.  Then, reading His Word won't be mere duty and certainly not drudgery.  Instead it will be the "lift" and inspiration that it was to the prophet Jeremiah--and you and I can say, Thy Word is the JOY of my heart" (Jeremiah 15:16).  The Apostle Paul prayed that the Christians in Rome might be filled "with all joy and peace in believing ...through the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

The Holy Spirit does put joy in the heart of an obedient Christian and He makes the Word of God become the joy of his heart.  The Holy Spirit is constantly searching  "the deep things of God" (I Corinthians 2:10).  He works through God's Word that we have stored in our hearts--never apart from it.  Does He have anything to work with in your life?

What else besides knowing God's Word, should we do if we want to know the Lord as our "exceeding joy"?  We should pray often in Jesus' name, praise Him for His goodness, ask Him to supply our needs, and thank Him for His marvelous answers, even to petitions that seem impossible.  Jesus told His disciples before He died on the cross that up to that time they hadn't asked God for things in His name, but that if they would, their joy over answered prayer would be full (John 16:24).

The trouble with most of our praying is that we're so selfish in our requests that we pray only for our own selves and our own families and friends.  But the Lord wants us to pray for all believers ("saints" Ephesians 6:18) and for witnesses to be sent to all people in all the world (Luke 10:2).

Joy is not mere happiness.  The root word of "happiness" is "hap", meaning that things just happen or come by chance.  Happiness, though enjoyable at the time, doesn't last.  It depends on circumstances' being favorable.  Joy, however, being a fruit of the Spirit, doesn't depend on our having things to suit us.  King Solomon, who had everything, found that even the best things in this world were only "vanity" (Ecclesiastes 2).

Often sorrow and joy go together.  The Thessalonian Christians, who heard the Gospel preached by Paul, received God's Word "in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit" (I Thessalonians 1:6).  Paul, himself, could feel real joy or "take pleasure in infirmities, reproaches...persecutions, distresses, for Christ's sake."  "Sorrows come to stretch out spaces in the heart for joy."  Paul learned that when he himself was weak, the Holy Spirit could show him how strong Christ's life in him could be (II Corinthians 12:9, 10).

Yes, if we fully trust Christ, it is possible to have joy in our hearts even in times of sorrow, suffering, temptations, trial, disappointment, or pain--for love makes us able to rejoice.  When things don't go right at home or at school or elsewhere, we'll find that praising the Lord and claiming His joy is a short cut to victory over our troubles.  Believers are commanded to "rejoice in the Lord always" ( Philippians 4:4).  The "joy of the Lord" is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Things of the Lord should give us special joy!--His WILL, His WORD,  His HOUSE!  Want to start the joy-bells ringing in your heart?  Learn Psalm 32:11 and trust the Lord to let you feel as joyful as the psalmist did!

To go to Day 4 of this study on the 
"Fruit of the Spirit" and learn about PEACE,
just click NEXT below:

Midi Playing:  Joy Bells

You may have the joy-bells ringing in your heart,
And a peace that from you never will depart;
Walk the straight and narrow way,
Live for Jesus ev’ry day,
He will keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

Joy-bells ringing in your heart,
Joy-bells ringing in your heart;
Take the Savior here below
With you ev’rywhere you go;
He will keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

Love of Jesus in its fullness you may know;
And this love to those around you sweetly show;
Words of kindness always say;
Deeds of mercy do each day,
Then He’ll keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

You will meet with trials as you journey home;
Grace sufficient He will give to overcome;
Though unseen by mortal eye,
He is with you ever nigh,
And He’ll keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

Let your life speak well of Jesus ev’ry day;
Own His right to ev’ry service you can pay;
Sinners you can help to win
If your life is pure and clean,
And you keep the joy-bells ringing in your heart.

In His Image

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