Among other things, God’s design for you includes joy. The Apostle Paul says, “The fruit of the Spirit is Joy.” Let’s consider three things: fruit, Spirit, and joy.
Fruit. Fruit represents truth. You know the type of tree by the fruit it bears. You can duct tape oranges on an apple tree but it will still be an apple tree. Fruit is an outcome. The outcome of being an apple tree is apples. The fruit of letting God run your life is joy.
Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God the Spirit. He is sometimes called the Spirit of Christ because his work on earth and in our hearts is to lift up the truth about Jesus Christ. If we place our faith in Jesus, we believe he is God the Son, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, took the punishment for our sins upon himself, rose from the dead, and will return again one day to finish what he started. If we believe this and surrender our affections, mind, and will to him, we will be filled by the Spirit and he will direct our lives.
Joy. How you view heaven is how you view life. If you see heaven as an eternal church service, you don’t get it. Church services help us but they are a far cry from a world freed from sin and pain. The heaven described in the Bible is a dynamic place, not a static place. It is a place ruled by the King of peace and righteousness. It is a safe place bustling with activity, creativity, relationship, and purpose.
When we get the right vision, a piece of heaven lives in our hearts and overcomes the most difficult of situations because we know it will last only a season. Our lives in this fallen body and place is temporary. Children of God are filled with this knowledge resulting in the fruit of joy. And this joy cannot be contained in our mind, it spreads to our emotions and our will.
This week, I encourage you to do 3 simple things to increase your joy:
1. Open your email every morning for 7 days and watch our 45 second to 90 second video about joy.
2. Make a commitment to do what we encourage you to do to increase your joy. Each of the 7 tips are gifts from God.
3. Please forward the video to several friends!
