Share the Fruit of Goodness...and Joy!

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  In Galatians 5 we find the delicious fruit of LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE and KINDNESS, to name a few. What’s on the fruit platter for today?  It’s GOODNESS.

            We use the word “GOOD” many times a day!  To praise a child we say “Good job!”   We tell one another when we’ve seen a good movie or read a good book or found a good restaurant.  But what does goodness mean in the spiritual context?

            James Hamilton wrote: “Goodness is love in action, love with its hand to the plow, love with the burden on its back, love following His footsteps who went about continually doing good.”

            That’s exactly what Jesus did…he went about doing good, as we are reminded in Acts 10:38.  Can we do that?  We can if we “go about” with God.

            The fruit of the Spirit must continually be cultivated. We don’t produce it once for all time. It’s a continual process of becoming more like Him so that goodness will be expressed in our lives instead of the old selfish qualities. If we focus on the wrong things, we will reap some very selfish, evil fruit in our behavior and relationships. But when meditate on God’s attributes, we will bear good fruit which leads to kind, generous, loving acts toward others.

            Start sharing the fruit of GOODNESS and you’ll find yourself spreading the JOY of the Lord. 

 In Mark 10:18 we read: "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is truly good.”  Walk in God’s goodness and find true joy.

"Be Ye Kind" and Be Ye Joyful!

          Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Many of us are striving toward a healthier new year…and in doing so we are trying to make better choices.

            Last week we discussed adding fruit to our spiritual diet…the Fruit of the Spirit.  Galatians 5: 22-23 names a variety of fruit that we should have as we mature in our Christian walk.  There is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, and PATIENCE.  The next one listed in that passage is KINDNESS.

            One of the first Bible verses many of us learned as a child was “Be ye kind, one to another.”  Ephesians 4:32.   It was easy to recite but not nearly as easy to live out. 

            Let’s look at that verse again.  The NIV says it this way: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, ,forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.”  Have you noticed how often the Bible connects being kind with forgiving others?  It’s easy to be kind to those who are kind to us.  But what about those who are spiteful and seem to try to hurt us?  Well, Luke 6:28 has the answer for that: “bless those who curse you; pray for those who spitefully use you.”

             If we desire to be like Christ, KINDNESS is a necessary fruit. When we share this fruit with everyone, we will experience a joyful attitude ourselves….and the joy cycle begins.

 “Be Ye KIND”…and be ye joyful!

Love, Joy, Peace and PATIENCE

             Have you had your Joy Juice today?  We’ve had a steady diet of fruit this week. Galatians 5 has taught us about the “Fruit of the Spirit”….Love, Joy, Peace and the next one on the list….PATIENCE!  

            Many times, are you like I am when, I feel like uttering a desperate prayer to God: “Lord, give me patience and give it to me NOW!”  In my own strength, I don’t always do so well in this area! The fruit of “patience” is something God does in us.  But, we must be willing to allow Him to work.

            For example, when someone annoys or hurts us, we need to soak our thoughts in the fruit squeezed from the Joy Juice of Jesus!  If we’re stuck in traffic, instead of getting angry and agitated, let’s chew on the fruit of patience. When we are behind a slow person in the grocery store or the check out lane, try to recognize that person as someone Jesus loves…and so should we!  

When others are getting on our last nerve, let’s try to see them through the eyes of Jesus.  We wonder why they’re acting in such an obnoxious way or why they are so distant or arrogant.  It could be because of tremendous pain in their lives. We never know what others are going through. They may be trying to protect themselves.

When we allow God to develop that fruit called PATIENCE (or longsuffering) in our lives, we begin to see things from a whole different perspective---one that is flavored with His love, His joy, His peace and His patience. 

 May we be patient with others as we radiate the fruit of the Spirit!   

Peace & Joy in the Midst of the Storms

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  What kind of fruit have you chosen to enjoy with your serving of Joy Juice this morning?

            The familiar passage in Galatians 5 reminds us of the Fruit of the Spirit.  The fruit of love is of utmost importance; then there’s JOY that we certainly want to share with others.  What’s next on the list?  It’s the fruit of PEACE.

          David Jeremiah tells of two artists who were asked to paint pictures of peace as they perceived it.  One painted a quiet, still lake, far back in the mountains.  The other painted a raging, rushing waterfall which had a birch tree leaning out over it with a bird resting in a nest on one of the branches.

           Which one truly depicts peace?  The second one does, because there is no such thing as peace without opposition. The first picture may look serene and is a beautiful scene. But it doesn’t depict God’s rest.  His peace is a spiritual peace, one that operates in the midst of the storm.  Jesus didn’t come to remove all our problems, but instead to give us a different approach to the storms of life.

             As we begin this new year, let’s remember that though we do not know what storms may be ahead, we can be assured that the peace of God can be ours no matter what.  Love, Joy, Peace….what delicious fruit!  Each is freely ours by allowing God to have first place in our hearts.  

Peace be with you as you accept the love and joy of the Lord.  

Remain in Christ to Remain Joyful

          Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Let’s stir up some sweet, fruit-flavored Joy Juice for today’s serving.

            Galatians 5 is a familiar passage as we talk about the Fruit of the Spirit.  The first fruit mentioned on that list is LOVE. Then comes…what I love to talk about…JOY!  :)

          Paul teaches that if we want the “fruit of the Spirit” to grow in us, we must allow God to have complete control of every area of our lives.   In John 15:4 Jesus says: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

            To have a life filled with JOY, we must remain in Him, continually.  Genuine JOY comes from the fruit garden that is deep within the heart of one who has surrendered his all to Christ.  Sure, life is going to serve up some “sour crops” from time to time.  We’re not always going to like what’s in life’s fruit cobbler…, but we can always wash it down with lots of JOY JUICE, because we know that the Creator has our best interest at heart.    

            God knows what we need to help us develop and grow, spiritually.  Next time life serves you something bitter or distasteful, ask The Lord what you can learn from the experience.  If you are “remaining” in Him, you will be able to face whatever it is by continuing to drink in His special recipe of JOY.

            Remain joyful by “remaining in Him”. 

Shine with His Love and Share His Joy!

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Yesterday we talked about how important fruit is as a healthy part of our diet.  Let’s look at those verses in Galatians 5 a little closer today to make sure we understand what kind of fruit we need for our spiritual health. 

            The first fruit mentioned in verse 22 of Galatians 5 is the fruit of LOVE.  I don’t think it’s an accident that this fruit is first on the list.  If we don’t have love, our Christian example will be ineffective.

            Love is more important than all the spiritual gifts exercised in the church body.  Great acts of faith, acts of dedication or sacrifice produce very little without love. Love makes our actions and gifts useful. 

            The way I see it, we have to accept God’s love in order to be able to give it away.   God’s love is to be directed outward…toward others.  It’s possible to practice this kind of love only if God helps us set aside our own desires and instincts, so that we can give love without expecting nothing in return.  The more we become like Christ, the more love we will show to others.

            That’s why one of our most passionate heart’s desires should be---to be like Christ! Meditate and pray over the words found in Galatians 5:22-23.  With God’s help, we can be joyful Christians who radiate the LOVE of Christ!

 Shine with the love of Jesus and share His joy with others!  

A Fruit Garden...with Lots of Joy!

          Have you had your Joy Juice today? How are doing with keeping your New Year’s resolutions? Are you trying to develop healthy habits?  

            Nutritionists tell us that we need between 5 and 9 servings of fruit per day.  Fruit is 100% bad-cholesterol free!  It stimulates the memory & it has healing effects. But not only is fruit good for us physically…it’s a necessary part of our spiritual diet, as well!

            Did you know that the Bible talks about FRUIT?  In Galatians 5: 22-23 we read:  
”The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” If we want to grow healthy spiritually, we should let God develop each of these nine “servings” of fruit in us!

            The fruit of the Spirit refers to the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives.  The term “fruit” in this context means character traits which are found in the nature of Christ.  When this fruit is evident in our lives, it’s only because it is the by-product of Christ’s control in us.  It is with God’s help that this kind of beautiful fruit can grow.  

            Why not ask God to plant a fruit garden in your heart?   You might just find yourself with such an abundant crop that you’ll be squeezing JOY JUICE to share with all your neighbors!  That’s the way to spread the joy of Jesus as you follow the path He has laid out before you!

Drink your Joy Juice faithfully! Share the “fruit of the Spirit”…especially that fruit called “joy”.