Fruit of the Spirit - Part 3 - Joy

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Galatians 5:22-26

Do you want to be happy? Is there anyone you know who doesn't? I'm not sure there's a single person on earth who doesn't want to live joyfully! There are a few, however, who are so soured on life that it's virtually impossible for them to experience joy or happiness. They express this in their downcast, grumbling and sometimes even snarling, demeanor. I'm sure those who sincerely desire to possess joy is a huge contrast to those who don't express it.

How do you pursue happiness? What is the main source? For some, they seek their joy through entertainment or through the performer they just "love." Some glean it from athletic endeavors, hobbies, travel, fashion, home improvements, wealth, status, alcohol, food and/or drugs. These things may provide a sense of happiness for a time, but it's only a brief period of satisfaction. 

Distress, sorrow, despair and regret are all opposites of joy! Despair limits us like a ball and chain from growth and enjoyment of life because we become consumed with our circumstances. Regret is when we have lost control of our attitude and response. Distress cuts us off from relationships, learning, life experiences and God. Not adding joy in our life leads to depression that cuts us off from seeing hope and purpose and what life and eternity are all about!

James 1:2-5, tell us to, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."

Our joy comes from God. To be completely filled with joy, not for a period of time, but even during trials and tribulations, We are to glory in God and rejoice in our trials. If life was perfect all the time, wouldn't that get boring? How would we grow in knowledge if we knew every day was going to be without trial? 

The key is for us to look to Christ, not to our situation, and declare our circumstances as joy. We are to be content and satisfied, to face them, and then learn and grow from them. This does not mean to give up and do nothing; it means to refocus our energies into productivity and faith-not questions and bitterness. It is to have our convictions and fulfillment in Christ, not circumstances. So, when something difficult comes our way, we will have  great comfort that God is in control and will not allow us to carry more than we can tolerate. Our joy and purpose is in Christ and our relationship to Him! 

"...Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Nehemiah 8:10

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Fruit of the Spirit - Part 2 - Love

I just love going to the beach! I love listening to the waves crash on the shore. I love watching the dolphins swimming and playing in the ocean.

Love is one of the most often used, misapplied and misunderstood words in the English language. Its usage is nearly limitless. People, myself included, say they love everything from peanut butter to pork rinds, fireworks to Ferraris, lilies to literature. The semantic range is so broad and flexible, it almost renders the word meaningless. For when a word is used to mean almost anything, it means almost nothing.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

Galations 5:22

The "love" mentioned in this verse is "agape" love, but what exactly is agape love? Let me explain... agape love is different from other types of love. The essence of agape love is self-sacrifice. Unlike our English word "love," agape is not used in the Bible to refer to romantic or sexual love. Nor does it refer to close friendship or brotherly love, for which the Greek word philia is used. Agape love is unique and is distinguished by its nature and character. 

Agape is love which is of and from God, whose very nature is love itself. 1John 4:8, "God is love." God does not merely love; He is love itself! Everything God does flows from His love. God's love isn't the sappy, sentimental love we so often hear about. God loves because that is His nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely (us!), not because we deserve to be loved, but because it is His nature to do so. God's love is displayed most clearly at the Cross, where Christ dies for the unworthy creatures who were "dead in their trespasses and sins" (Ephesian 2:1). Christ died for YOU and for ME. How many people would you die for just because you know he/she is a sinner? 

"but God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us"

Romans 5:8

We are undeserving recipients of the love He lavishes. Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for those He loves.

In the same way, we are to love others sacrificially. Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan as an example of sacrifice for the sake of others, even those who may care nothing at all for us, or even hate us, as the Jews did the Samaritans. Sacrificial love is not based on a feelings, but a determined act of the will, a joyful resolve to put the welfare of others above our own. 

This love doesn't come naturally to us humans. Because of our fallen nature, we are incapable of producing such a love. If we are to show agape love, it can only come from its true Source. When we become His children, that love stores itself in our hearts. 

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. As I have loved you, you should also love one another."

John 13:34

We are to love sacrificially. Not for gain, not to make ourselves look good, but because He loved us sacrificially, even to the point of death. 

Again, it is clear that only God can generate within us the kind of self-sacrificing love which is the proof that we are His children. 

"By this we have known the love of God, because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers."

1 John 3:16

Because of God's love toward us, we are now able to love one another. 

"There must be a stronger foundation than mere friendship or sexual attraction. Unconditional love, agape love, will not be swayed by time or circumstances. " 

John 3:16.

Fruit of the Spirit - Part 1

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do....Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:16-26)

            When we accepted Christ into our hearts, we took up our crosses and "crucified" our ways, our desires, and our life to gain His Life. We put away our old ways and began a new walk with Jesus Christ; to be like him, to share the gospel with others and be a living testimony. 

            We can not do that by our selves. We have to choose to let Christ work in us. We can either choose to walk by the flesh (the natural, desires of the world, sin) or Walk in the Spirit. We can not walk in both, one or the other. To walk in the spirit is to follow Him. Submit to Him, Act how He does. We have to walk and do. Walk in love, Joy, peace, patience as He does. Now you may be thinking, “I already was joyful before I knew Jesus- I don’t need the Holy Spirit…” I would say to that, “it was not true joy then.” It was not perfect, complete, whole, everlasting Joy, if he was not living in you. Now if you still argue you were happier then before knowing Jesus, please tell me because I must be missing something…

            The devil tries to replace the true fruit of the Spirit and the characteristics of Jesus with false replicas of joy, of love and peace that make you feel at peace but 45 minutes later all hell is breaking loose again. The difference is that you are at peace. Peace in the heart, mind soul and body. So many people are out there just chasing and following little fish hooks that “promise” food, but hey, what else are they supposed to eat, if we “believers” are keeping our fruit to our selves. With this fruit, we give. With our new life, we shine.

“At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8-10)

Shine your light. The light He has given you.

Be Different

"But to you who are listening I say, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." 

Luke 6:27-28

Jesus didn't try to fit in.

He disagreed with leaders who said "law only" instead of "love." He sometimes acted like a servant. He sometimes hung out with the wrong people. He sometimes said stuff that went against their law. And He even volunteered to take a punishment He didn't deserve - DEATH. 

Normal? I think not. Jesus was different.

Sometimes we try so hard to fit in. We wear certain clothing, say certain things, we even do stuff because everyone else is doing it. I believe this is true for both the young and the old! All we really want is to feel accepted and maybe even loved.

Jesus challenges His followers to be different by believing bigger, serving the undeserving, forgiving enemies and loving extravagantly. You see, Jesus loves people no matter what. Jesus welcomes outcasts and ALWAYS forgives. 

Jesus is calling YOU to be different. To jump out of line. To light flares in the dark. To somersault past "please walk" signs. To wear neon on a planet of gray.

It's comfortable to fit in, but what if you were never meant to fit in What if you were meant to stand out in incredible ways? In a world where the crowd nudges you toward "normal," what if you were meant to be DIFFERENT?

The Storm Stopper

How tough is it to trust Jesus to get you through difficult situations--times when you're afraid, times when you are stressed or bombarded with demands from co-workers, friends and family? Jesus is not afraid of our circumstances and we shouldn't be either.

Take for example, when Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus asks His disciples to go to the other side of the lake and on the way over, Jesus falls asleep. In the meantime, a terrible storm ensues the boat and the disciples are SCARED and with good reason! The disciples knew how dangerous the sea could be. Even today, the sea develops fierce storms with waves as high as 20 feet! They were expert fishermen, but their peril was real.

The disciples finally wake up Jesus to let Him know they were in great danger. Jesus immediately gets up and rebukes the storm. The waves and wind cease. The sea is calm.
The disciples are astonished, yet afraid all at the same, but their fear demonstrates a lack of faith. They had God in human form in their boat, yet their fear of impending disaster, overcame them.
Jesus cares for us and wants us to trust Him, even in hard times. He has a plan and He will make it come to pass no matter what. His plans can not be stopped.

When caught in the storms of life, it is easy to think that God has lost control and that we're at the mercy of the winds of fate. In reality, God is sovereign. He controls the history of the world as well as our personal destinies. Just as Jesus calmed the waves, He can calm whatever storms you may face. 

Instant Gratification

We are a society of instant gratification. How true is that for you personally?

We want so badly to connect with someone; to share our most intimate secrets with, to go places with or to just hang out with.
But before we can make any relationships, friendship or otherwise, work, we must first begin with a personal relationship with Jesus. We can talk all day long about how we know who Jesus is and about praying and even going to church, but are we craving the same aspects of a relationship with Him as we do with a fellow human being?

Man is ALWAYS going to let you down. Even your bestest bud in the entire world, will eventually let you down. You'll get angry with one another, one wrong word will be uttered or perhaps a promised date will be cancelled and suddenly, you're both at odds with each other. Man WILL fail you.
God will not.
So, the question is, will we develop that intimate deep relationship with Him? Will we talk to Him like we would our closest girl/boyfriend and share our most detailed secrets with Him?
It may seem silly to talk to GOD about the little things in life, but you know, I started doing just that... talking about everything and anything and you know what? It feels SO good! He understands when nobody does and He'll fill that void; that discontent we all feel sometimes when man isn't doing the job. Once we're experiencing the closeness of Jesus, all our earthly relationships will grow and blossom
It just takes time. It's not going to happen overnight, the fulfillment isn't just going to go BOOM and happen! We need to build that relationship and before we realize it, that void has been filled. Believe me, I've felt the discontentment, but I choose to rely more on the love given to me freely from Jesus, than the temporary love given by man.