On June 4, 2016 I wrote about the first fruit of the Spirit which was love. Now I write about the second fruit of the Spirit which is joy.
The fruits of the Spirit are very important to God and He wants us to know what they are for a reason. They are expressly about the Spirit, the character of the Spirit and we should imitate Him, have His character. The ways of the Spirit are Holy to God and He expects us to reverence the Holiness of the Spirit. Jesus severely chastised the Pharisees about being disrespectful of the holiness of the Spirit inMark 3:29 “but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”
Believers are temples of the Holy Spirit for the Spirit dwells in them. The fruits of the Spirit should be our nature as we follow the Spirit of Christ in us.Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
What more joyful thing could you want than that? Jesus says inJohn 17:13 “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.”
Later after the church had grown in the Spirit and increased in numbers we find inActs 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul gives us more insight to how joy is an important aspect of our lives when he says inRomans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us what our joy should be like inPhilippians 2:2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Then Paul sums up the spiritual meaning of our joy as being like a crown in the hope of glory.1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
The fruit of the Spirit is Gods holiness in believers and should be on display and shared with everyone.
God wants you to be born again into royalty, to reside in the holy glory of God with a new citizenship, body, mansion, reward, throne, glory, and eternal life.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation
Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven
1 Corinthians 15:35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Matthew 5:12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven
Revelation 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne
John 17:22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
John 10:28 And I give them eternal life,
Your reward is waiting for you! Don’t lose it! It is there for the taking!
♥Receive your reward now by receiving Jesus as your savior!♥
In Galatians 5:22 the first fruit of the Spirit is love.
The world’s idea of love is sensual and lustful but that is a counterfeit love perpetrated by the devil to lead all mankind into an abyss of destructive sin. Jesus taught a different kind of love; love that is neither selfish nor demanding of demonstrations of the flesh. In the counterfeit love people are always trying to satisfy their own desires. They are only serving themselves. The love that Jesus teaches us is totally the opposite. Jesus says that through love we should serve one another. We should be out-going and giving in every sense of the word.
Jesus also teaches us that the second greatest law is that we should love our neighbors as we would love ourselves.
Getting out of one’s comfort zone and giving of their time and service to someone in need or just to be encouraging brings great rewards and satisfaction you will get no other way. That is genuine love by God’s definition. James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble. That is an act of love that God greatly blesses.
You should begin to understand now that the love that is the first fruit of the Spirit is not the same love that the world lavishes on itself. But Gods love is a love that the world needs to know about and taught about. God’s love is something that lives in you and is manifested through the heart unselfishly.
Those with the greatest love are servants to all.
Godly love comes from the Spirit in you if you first let Jesus into your life and follow Him.
John 14: 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Jesus is standing at your door right now as you read open the door and let Him in!
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
"He brought me to his banquet hall and raised the banner of love over me. Restore my strength with raisins and refresh me with apples! I am weak from passion... His left hand is under my head and his right hand caresses me" - Song of Solomon 2:4-6
WORLDWIDE INTERNET EVANGELISM 