CULTIVATING THE FRUIT OF JOY

How’s your joy?

What’s the reading on your joy meter?

Have you allowed circumstances to drain you of joy? Or, as Scripture commands, are you deliberately yielding to the Holy Spirit instead of negative, shifting emotions?

Today, I’m sharing an article written by my friend and ministry partner here on Beautiful in Jesus. Using Scriptures, she teaches us what joy is and why we should obey God’s command to rejoice always.

My challenge to you is to find as many Scriptures as you can that speak on joy and meditate on them until they become ingrained in your subconscious.

I pray for us that we will consistently yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He uses the Word to prompt, teach, guide, and lead us to rejoice in the Lord always. Amen.

THE FRUIT OF JOY

“… The fruit of the Spirit is … joy” Galatians 5:22

Growing up, I always allowed circumstances to dictate my joy.

I was happy when things went my way and sad when they didn’t. But, after I became a follower of Jesus Christ, my unstable response to life’s circumstances improved significantly. However, I wasn’t deliberately cultivating joy until I read “rejoice always” from 1 Thessalonians 5:16. Those words stood out as a command and ministered to me. Upon understanding that exhibiting joy is required of me as a child of God, I became intentional about cultivating the fruit of joy in my life.

WHAT IS JOY?

In Galatians 5:22-23, Apostle Paul lists joy as one of the fruit of the Spirit.

The Greek word Paul used for joy in Galatians 5:22 is chara. Chara means a calm delight, gladness; to be joyful. Chara is from the Greek word chairō, which means cheerfulness, to rejoice, or to be glad.

WHO SHOULD BE FULL OF JOY?

Every believer in Jesus Christ is subject to the command to be full of joy.

Paul commanded the saints at Philippi to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4 ESV), and he wrote, “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16 ESV) to the church in Thessalonica.

God wants us to serve Him with joy not only when we worship in His presence (Psalm 100:2) but also in our daily lives. God commanded the people of Israel to rejoice in the Lord for what he did for them (Deuteronomy 26:11 NKJV). We have received a far greater benefit from God, His greatest gift to humanity; His only begotten Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Therefore, we have every reason to serve Him joyfully!

GOD IS THE SOURCE OF OUR JOY

The Psalmist in Psalm 43:4 NLT declares God as the source of his joy.

Indeed, GOD IS OUR EXCEEDING JOY.

Jesus made this possible when He reconciled us with God (Romans 5:11 ESV). If you have been made right with God, you now have this divine privilege to rejoice in the Lord. Psalm 32:11 ESV says, “Be glad in the LORD and rejoice O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” I am exceedingly glad we are never told in the Bible to rejoice in our circumstances, which are constantly changing, but to rejoice in a God who never changes! (Malachi 3:6).

CULTIVATING JOY

Believers can only cultivate joy or any other fruit of the Spirit if we allow our behavior to be guided and controlled by the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, if we do what our sinful nature craves, we will do the works of the flesh (Galatians 5: 16-17 NLT, Galatians 5: 19-23 NLT).

The Holy Spirit seeks to guide believers through the Word of God (John 16:13). If we will be successful in cultivating joy, we need to know the Word, grow in our knowledge of it, and desire to obey what it commands us to do when the Holy Spirit prompts us.

There are a lot of scriptures about joy and rejoicing. Since we cannot exhaust all, let’s consider a few as we reflect on five key Biblical principles on cultivating the fruit of joy.

1. Cultivating the Fruit of Joy through Prayer

“Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24 ESV

We are cultivating joy when we choose to pray to God about situations that threaten our joy rather than give in to anxiety. 1 Peter 5:7 ESV commands us to cast ALL our concerns onto God because He cares for us. Develop the habit of choosing to worry about nothing, and, instead, pray with thanksgiving about everything (Philippians 4:6).

2. Cultivating the Fruit of Joy by Trusting God

“May the God of hope fill you with ALL JOY and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 ESV

We are cultivating joy when we make a deliberate decision to not give in to fear and instead trust God in every situation. God is faithful to fill us with His joy and peace whenever we trust Him with things beyond our control.

3. cultivating the fruit of joy through the word

“Now I am coming to You. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with MY JOY.” John 17:13 NLT

While Jesus Christ was praying to the Father, He acknowledged that while He was on earth, He told the disciples the Word so that that they would be filled with His joy. The Word of God we know and obey is what God uses to fill us with joy. The more we grow in our understanding of God, His plans, and His purposes, the more we can hold on to our joy even in dire situations.

4. Cultivating the fruit of joy in Difficult Circumstances

“We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.” Romans 5:3 NLT

If we truly understand that trials develop endurance, we will continue to hold on to joy while we endure challenging situations (James 1:2-3 NLT).

During this pandemic, many people have lost their loved ones to COVID-19. Knowing that when Christ comes, they will be reunited again with their loved ones can be a source of joy amid great mourning (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

5. cultivating joy by Choosing to Rejoice Always

“Always be joyful.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16 NLT

God commands believers to always be joyful. It is a choice we must make every time our circumstances threaten our joy. This Scripture has been such a blessing to me. Now, anytime I notice a heaviness trying to come upon me, I quickly say to my heavenly Father that I choose to rejoice in Him instead of my circumstances. I immediately refuse to allow my feelings to have the upper hand because I know God calls the righteous to live by faith (Hebrews 10:38). God is so faithful; every time I exercise faith in His Word, He always fills me with His joy!

Let us develop the habit of rejoicing always. We should follow the example of the prophet Habakkuk, who made up his mind to rejoice in the Lord and be joyful in the God of His Salvation despite the impending doom the people of Judah were going to face at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and his army (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Conclusion

I pray that believers who are in the habit of rejoicing in the Lord will be encouraged to continue to do so. I pray that those who are not consistent will be motivated to do so because God wants us to serve Him joyfully. If you are a believer and always let your feelings take over whenever you face an unpleasant situation, I encourage you to take a step of faith today.

Pray and ask God to help you discern whenever you are allowing circumstances to steal your joy. Decide to choose to rejoice in the Lord verbally. Instead of worrying about the problem, pray about it and trust God. He will respond to your faith by filling you with His joy. Truly it pleases Him when we live this way; Ecclesiastes 2:26a NLT says, “God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please Him!”