Fruit of the Spirit Friday: Joy
 I have really been wanting to participate in Robin's Fruit of the Spirit Friday. I have not yet found time to focus on it. I suppose I need to write more spiritual posts, but I feel that would be such a great responsibility, and I do not want to just throw one out there just to participate in a meme... even a really good one like the Fruit of the Spirit Friday meme.
Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
I started writing a post about Joy about a month ago. A few friends had been going through extremely rough times, and as I spoke with each of them, the word Joy resonated each time. Their trials were in direct opposition to their Joy. And it got me to thinking about the Spirit of Joy. The Fruit of Joy. It left a few questions in my mind, that, frankly, if I take time to write them out instead of clean up my house or tend to my Littles, I will know the answer to how I behave when don't have Joy! It is a much deeper study than one post.
Joy is a state of being. It is easily lost and long-sought after. It takes time to allow the Spirit to work it in your life, and many Christians have never walked in it. It is not a feeling or an attitude or a mindset. It is the Holy Spirit showing Himself through me. If He can't do that, it is because I have not given Him audience in that area of my Spirit, and I am losing some of the finest moments in my life to living a life void of Joy. I do not wish to do that.
Joy is not man-made. It is not woman-made. If given by the Holy Spirit, it should flow out of me like a song of worship to the Lord. Joy is an act of worship in my life. It is a surrendering of my own ideals and desires and even my hopes. I have a feeling joy has been squashed by myself and many Believers, because we have unreasonable expectations of how our lives should be, and when they are not that, not what we thought life was *supposed* to be, our man-made Joy goes right out the window with all the lost expectations. And we are no different than the old man we were, the sinful man underneath.
As a large homeschooling family, we either spread Joy or gloom and despair. There is no retreat in this house for individualists. We either lift each other up or pull each other down. When any of us, Mom included, try to push our own agendas or make people around us listen or do things our way, instead of reaching into each others' hearts, we will kill any Joy we have in this house. We will not always be Joyful, but when our Joy is determined by whether or not we get the correct amount of ketchup on our hot dogs, we do not truly have the Joy of the Holy Spirit.
And that is key: It has to be Joy from the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 32:11 says, "Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart."
The heart has a lot to do with a Joyful Spirit. Let me say the *condition* of the heart. If we are frustrated, feeling sorry for ourselves, feeling entitled, battling sins we have been battling for years (and not submitting to God's Word in them) or just not reading our Bible, our heart is not in a position to even be joyful.
Deuteronomy tells us in verses 47 and 48 that, "Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Deuteronomy 28 is the chapter of blessings and cursings. It gives a list of blessings for God's people if they obey His Word and commandments and the cursings their lives will bring if they do not.
A selfish heart has little room for real Joy. In that case, Joy only exists in our world when things go our way. Children and adults alike. I have a four-year-old who stomps his foot. Demanding. A sense of entitlement. Having allowed this bad habit to form, when he lacks Joy, so do many in our home. Which leads to another aspect of Joy: It is contagious. Just like a lack of Joy will spread, a Spirit of Joy will also.
I want to spread Joy. I want to be Joyful at all times. I know life will bring sorrows, for that is what the Word says: There is a time for everything. But, we are to have the Joy of the Lord. I cannot fully understand that. I do not understand Jesus. Jesus. It is too incomprehensible for this human mind. I know He wanted to do what He did, to sacrifice His life for the world. I know He did this in great sorrow. But, He also did it with great Joy. Joy in the Holy Spirit; Joy in fulfilling the plan of salvation; Joy in following the Father's Will.
This tells me that I can also live my everyday life and be Joyful too. As long as I make my heart available. I too can experience Joy in the Holy Spirit; Joy in fulfilling the plan of my salvation; Joy in following the Father's Will. I pray for a better understanding of how to submit to and allow this Joy in my life.
Blessings! And JOY!
Fruit of the Spirit Friday Meme - Peace
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Jesus Said, “A tree is judged by its fruit.”
I am choosing the Fruit of PEACE today. There is a lot of talk about peace, wishes for peace, and really, little understanding or representation of what it truly is.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Jeasus imparted to us His peace. He made the distinction between the peace the world has to offer and the peace He alone can give. He knew we would have trials and troubles. He knew we would sometimes have times in our lives when things were unbearable. He knew this because He faced the most unbearable time of any human when He took the weight of the sins of all humanity upon Him.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Do I think I know what peace is? No. I don't presume to know. He said it was the peace of God that passeth all understanding. Only this peace willt keep our minds and hearts.
John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
He knows our troubles. He knows we can get down-trodden, depressed because of troubles, but we do not have need of fear. We need to allow this peace to keep our hearts and minds, so that we may not fear.
God is still sovereign in this wretched world. He still is the Creator. He is still God. Period. No matter what the circumstances, no matter what obstacles we face, whether spiritual, monetary, emotional, physical... HE IS THERE. He is our peace.
There are several other Scriptures I found to share, below. One of my favorites is:
Mark 10:48
And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
Can you see the man? Can you see him, knowing Jesus is near, not quite being able to get to Him? He wanted that peace. He wanted the LORD. He was not going to keep his own peace. He needed the Lord. We also need that peace. In the times we are crying out in anger or in self-sufficiency, sinking in the deep, that is when we need His peace. We desparately need to cry out for His peace, not seek the world's.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Matthew 10:34
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mark 4:39
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Mark 5:34
And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
Mark 9:50
Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Mark 9:50
Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 7:50
And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Luke 7:50
And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Luke 8:48
And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
Luke 10:5
And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.
I am happy to find peace in our Lord. I am happy to slow down and find peace in a moment. How do you find peace in your busy life?
Blessings!
-Jacque
Fruit of the Spirit Friday
Have you read Robin’s Fruit of the Spirit Friday meme on Gentleness for today?
Wow. A Bible study in a post.
I think the whole thing is awesome, but this speaks volumes:
*What is the evidence of this fruit in one’s life?*
Gentleness comes from having a humble opinion of one’s self, coupled with the inner strength to control one’s emotions, tongue, and behavior.
My Fruit of theSpirit Friday post on LOVE just pales in comparison!! So, let’s not compare!
Just go read them both!
Blessings!
-Jacque
Ifyou are interested in doing this weekly meme, you can find the information on Robin's blog.
Fruit of the Spirit Friday ~ Love
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Jesus Said, “A tree is judged by its fruit.”
LOVE
What is Love? Is love a peck on the cheek? Is it saying your sorry? Is it being greatly wronged and forgiving *and* forgetting? Is it spending time with someone? Is it giving someone the last piece of your favorite pie?
It is all of the above, at different times and much much more. It is making a mistake and apologizing. It is laying down your own self and looking like the fool and saying I am sorry instead of covering up your mistakes and sins. It is not being stubborn. It is believing in someone, even though they may not deserve to be believed.
Love is sacrificial and selfless. It is sacrificial in that it puts others above yourself. Jesus said no greater love has a man than he lay down his life for his friends. That is both sacrificial and selfless. Love does not always require so much of us. It will vary from relationship to relationship. Love is also knowing how to prioritize those relationships.
It is love to do all you can for your children, but it is also love to make them wait and not always be put in first place in your life. Showing them you are clearly going to love them in the Lord is a lovely and important lesson they can see in living action. Showing them the love you have for Daddy is also a great expression of love for your children. Sending them to bed early to spend time with Daddy is one of the best ways to love your children. It shows Daddy he is loved, too!
Love is bringing up children in the way the Lord designed them to be. Love is teaching them His ways. Love, as defined in the Bible, is the very essence of God. The Word says God is Love. We are commanded to love one another that our "joy may be full."
I do not struggle with LOVE. Not as long as I can define it in my terms. It is when I have to look at it in God's terms that I see the real me and the real struggle I do have with living it. I am reading about how to truly love and serve my husband as God intended, and it is a lot to swallow. I see in my children where I have failed to see God's meaning of the word love, and it grieves me. It motivates me to change and walk in the LOVE that God desires of me.
One thing I have recognized more in the past year is that God's ways ARE higher than man's. Now, let me clarify that. I, obviously, have never had a diffcult time knowing this. I have just gained a clearer understanding of what that means. I have learned that God's ways - His instructions and attributes are not always something that will make sense to me. It doesn't make sense to give money to a ministry so that God can take care of us. That does not make sense to my mind, but to my spirit, it is clear.
We will never have a total understanding of everything. I think there are some things we will not have an answer for this side of heaven, but I know that God is not hidden when it comes to the meaning of love. We are told to lay down our lives, and we see the Son of God do this very thing. Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't tell someone to do something you wouldn't be willing to do yourself"? Do you ever think about that?
I was speaking with Amanda today, and this subject came up. I asked her if she saw in my life that I do things because it's a job that has to be done or if she saw a love for what I did that needed to be done. If we just do it as a job that needs done, what is the love in that? What is the joy in that? What is the blessing in that? I really hadn't considered my motivation in what I do until I heard myself ask that question. It was kind of strange. I never have thought, "Well, somebody has to do it or it won't get done." I see something that needs to be done, and loving my family, my household, being wife and mom, I do it.
As Moms, we give of ourselves for years with no expectation of anything. Certainly we are blessed as we watch our children grow and experience life with them. I brought up several things that are "without reward": cleaning out dirty diapers, washing dishes, giving up your time, cleaning, finding things dirty again, cleaning, finding things dirty again, cleaning. Things without earthly reward. And, is that what we focus on? The reward? No. We love what we do, and do it out of that love.
If we struggle with doing it out of love - and we all more than likely do, or have, at times - then, it is a heart issue. Jesus did give up himself out of love. He was looking toward the reward, but not an earthly one. He was looking where we need to look to know love, to His Father. To the plans He set forth for His people. Jesus had his eyes on heaven when He laid down his rights and loved us.
Diapers, dirty dishes, spending extra time on a project, taking time to be patient with a toddler or an older child... it is love in action. Having a heart pure before God, learning His Word so that I am prepared when struggles arise, that is love. Being prepared to live in peace and agreement in brotherly love, that is love. Seeing one's sin and offering forgiveness and walking with him/her; that is love.
I hope I am becoming a person who desires to love as God defines, not just as I am willing to give.
The meme is set up to 'tag' 2 people. I would like to read what all of you think about love for next Friday. The 2 I will tag are: Jill Novak and Christine Read. If any of you do the meme, let me know so I make sure to pop over!
Blessings!!
-Jacque
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