FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT
By Pastor George Cortez
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
By Pastor George Cortez
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
JOY – Is the emotion of great delight or happiness that is caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. And who on earth does not want to experience this joy and live happy and confidently, over six billion people of every race and every walk of life and even in the most remote corner of the world seek it everyday, but it is the way that we seek to have that joy in our lives that makes the difference. Everyone wants to be happy and we seek this in varying ways and intensities that we may fill the empty place inside.
Many seek the feeling of being happy through entertainment, and some seek it in sporting events, in athletic endeavors, hobbies, travel, food, alcohol, drugs, dancing, fashion, home improvements, status, wealth, even in religion. But these do ultimately all fail except for a short lived good feeling and a brief period of satisfaction.
King Solomon and joy – Before there were poll’s taken, King Solomon conducted a series of experiments in a quest to discover by practical experience and analysis how to get the most and best out of life, as Solomon described the experiments and the parameters of his search for meaning in life, he used the Hebrew word simha that means “Pleasure” and this is the word most frequently translated as “joy” throughout the Old Testament.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 - I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?" I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.
I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the children of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Many seek the feeling of being happy through entertainment, and some seek it in sporting events, in athletic endeavors, hobbies, travel, food, alcohol, drugs, dancing, fashion, home improvements, status, wealth, even in religion. But these do ultimately all fail except for a short lived good feeling and a brief period of satisfaction.
King Solomon and joy – Before there were poll’s taken, King Solomon conducted a series of experiments in a quest to discover by practical experience and analysis how to get the most and best out of life, as Solomon described the experiments and the parameters of his search for meaning in life, he used the Hebrew word simha that means “Pleasure” and this is the word most frequently translated as “joy” throughout the Old Testament.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 - I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?" I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.
I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the children of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
What Are People Pursuing? - Does the fact that people laugh and diligently seek laughter indicate they are experiencing joy? Proverbs 14:13 - Notes that laughter and pleasure often hide grief and sorrow. Indeed Proverbs 10:23; 26:19; 29:9 - Frequently pictures fools laughing on the road to destruction. Wisdom also laughs. Proverbs 1:26 - Shows that the difference between the fool and the wise is the timing of laughter, its cause and its object. There is a time for laughter, but Solomon's record shows that just because a person laughs does not mean he is experiencing biblical joy. - The world has the wrong object in mind in its mad pursuit of happiness. Biblical joy is the product of God's Holy Spirit Since joy is a fruit, a product, of God's Holy Spirit, joy is not the product of the natural mind but the product of the supernatural Holy Spirit of God. If it is not a product of the natural mind, then pursuing it apart from the guidance of the Holy Spirit will produce only very limited and pale imitations of the true joy that is experienced naturally by those that serve the living God.
King David writes, in Psalm 16:11 - "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore".
Biblical joy is inseparable from our relationship with God, and it springs from our knowledge and understanding of the purpose of life and the hope of living with God for eternity where there will be joy evermore. Joy is the sign that we have found true life and the real purpose and reason for our being!
Biblical joy is inseparable from our relationship with God, and it springs from our knowledge and understanding of the purpose of life and the hope of living with God for eternity where there will be joy evermore. Joy is the sign that we have found true life and the real purpose and reason for our being!
This world, with its multitude of insolvable problems, is not a place of joy. We must all live in anticipation of disaster simply because we know it has happened so often to so many. Disease destroys the lives of multitudes. Potential war and violence on the streets strike fear into our hearts. Discouragement over the difficulties of making ends meet, or of even having sufficient to eat or a warm, dry place to live. How many vibrant lives have accidents or natural disasters cut short? Except for brief spurts, this world's current condition and history are sufficient proof that mankind does not know how to produce joy.
Joy that is truly a fruit of God's Spirit, has its roots in the realization of God's purpose and its outworking that transforms us into His image. - Jesus quoted as He began His ministry: Isaiah 61:1-3 - The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
Therefore our joys must arise from yielding to the Holy Spirit of God, only God knows what we truly need to be happy, if we walk with God, joy is simply the bi-product, we were born to know Him and we have this emptiness that only God can fill, if we live in the Spirit, this will produce the fruit of joy in us and we can look forward to hearing Him say: as stated in Matthew 25:21 - Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.
Conversion and yielding to God's purpose is the key to biblical joy, a fruit of God's Spirit. A son of God can suffer disappointment, persecution and sorrow from a multitude of sources in his life, but the joy of the Lord in him will always lift him over them because his joy is greater than any negative circumstance that might occur. - Biblical joy is bound up in our relationship with Him and our understanding of what is happening to our minds. We walk to the beat of a different drummer than this world does.
No more life-changing experience can ever happen to a human being, than when God comes into our lives and transforms us completely and forever alters our perspective on life itself and on the things we formerly trusted to give us satisfaction. – There is nothing like knowing and understanding that God’s purpose for us. We know we have been forgiven and that we now have His Spirit and we have a place in Heaven. That is true joy!
Psalm 35:9 - Then my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; it shall rejoice in His salvation.
