Live Juicy – A 10 Week Study of the Fruit of the Spirit- Week Three – Joy

Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. Psalm 43:3-4

How does your family celebrate special occasions? Our tradition for birthday celebrations is to go out to eat. The birthday person gets to pick the restaurant of their choice. Sometimes we even have to make a reservation to get into an elegant restaurant.

Joy is the second characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit. The Greek word for joy is chara, which means rejoicing, gladness, enjoyment, or bliss. It is the word used to express the desire to celebrate.

Today, we are going to look at two of the reasons to celebrate with joy.

You have a reservation.

So, where are we going? What is the name of the place? Does it have a Five-Star rating? Let’s look in Revelation 21:23-27 for the review of the place God has reserved for us.

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

• Lighting – Five Stars
• Hours of operation – Five Stars
• Atmosphere – Five Stars
• Cleanliness – Five Stars
• Service – Five Stars

The origin of our joy is our salvation and the fact Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross secured our reservation, we have a reservation made at a Five-Star place. Wow, what a way to celebrate!

A Hidden Treasure

I found it buried under a bunch of old tools and small equipment. A small box, about the size of a paperback book, rusted and filthy. My imagination was already running ahead of me as I sat down to open the hidden treasure. Maybe there will be money in it or perhaps a map. The anticipation as I wondered what the box contained brought me much joy. The joy I felt as I discovered a trove of special items, set aside for safe keeping, excited me. The box contained old movie tickets, some coins, and a gold bracelet with the name Ralph on it. I wore that bracelet all summer, pretending to have a boyfriend named Ralph. Discovery and anticipation are two hallmarks of joy.

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.” Luke 10:21

God has hidden His truths from the highfalutin scholars and do-gooders, but He delights in revealing them to those of us who have a simple, yet pure belief. We, too, can be full of joy in the discovery of each of God’s truths.

The joy of discovery is for all of us to enjoy every time we open the Word of God and unearth new treasures. The joy of anticipation is for us to enjoy until the next time we dig into the Word.

Losing Your Joy

Let’s review our first reasons to be full of joy to find a clue to how we might lose our joy.

We established the fact that joy originates in Christ and the gift God freely gives to us in salvation. We did not earn anything here. Sometimes we forget this and try to be acceptable Christians by “doing” it right. We go to Church, attend prayer meetings, give to the poor, and we judge those who do not. Or sometimes, we judge ourselves for not measuring up to some invisible standards. We will lose our joy, just like the Galatians did when we become legalistic.

I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Galatians 3:2-3

Do you remember in week one, I warned us we could not grade ourselves on these virtues? Or devise a plan to get better at them? We will lose our joy when we devise strategies to “do it right.”

Joy Restored

Have you heard the saying, “What doesn’t kill you, makes your stronger”? Trials are never fun, but without them, we would not have a way to measure joy. Without the journey through the land of trials, we will never grow.

The psalmist in Psalm 71:20 speaks of troubled times when he says, “Though you have made me see troubles…you will restore my joy.” I am convinced God loves to show us the kind of joy which can only come from the restoration. I am convinced troubled times are ordained for kingdom gain.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong. 1 Peter 5:10

Are you in need of restoration? Have you felt the weight of troubles on your heart? We can cling to Paul’s words and count on the subsequent restoration that makes us stronger. It is in times of renewal where the celebration is loudest. Get ready to get your praise on and make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

When you have joy down in your heart.

Do you remember the song, The Joy Joy Joy Joy Down in my heart? (Warning! Click the link at your own risk. It will get stuck in your head.) The Joy song is such a happy reminder of the joy we have in our salvation, in the discovery of God’s truths, and guaranteed to us through restoration. Did this devotion open up your eyes to some new sources of joy? Are you ready to live juicy in joy?

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you have placed joy down in my heart to stay. My reservations are secure, my eternity certain, and my mind is at rest in the joy of a relationship with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

For a more in-depth study of the fruit of the Spirit, I recommend and am reading myself, Living Beyond Yourself, by Beth Moore

Related: The Inheritance

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