Willing to Forgive and Ready to Share His Joy

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  If it’s made with the fruit of the Spirit, then you can know for sure that it’s “the real thing”!

            Continuing our study of Ephesians 4, let’s look at verse 32…   “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

            Most of us would say that we try to be kind to others.  But it is really difficult to be kind to someone who has hurt you or a family member or friend, isn’t it?  We know we need to forgive those who have wronged us; if we don’t our anger and hurt will become like a festering wound in our minds and souls….and thus comes the bitterness that is mentioned in the previous verse. (Ephesians 4:31)

            “Sometimes we try to do the right thing and forgive, only to have our act of forgiveness misunderstood or rejected.  After all, when we forgive someone, we are forgiving them for something they did wrong---and they may not be willing to admit this.  Or they may think we’re trying to manipulate them or make them treat us better.  This is why we need to focus on our own attitudes and forgive them in our hearts---whether they accept our forgiveness or not.”  (Billy Graham)

            Billy Graham reminds us that we don’t ever have to worry about this kind of “misunderstanding” from God.  “When we come to Christ, our sins are forgiven and our relationship is restored---completely and fully.”  Oh, what JOY floods our hearts when forgiven by the Savior!

May our prayer be: “Father, give us a compassionate heart…willing to forgive and ready to share the joy of  Jesus!”  

   

Free from Bitterness and Filled with Joy

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Ephesians 4 is a power-packed chapter of instruction for those who want to become more like Christ and spread His JOY.

Look at verse 31: ”Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”

 Paul first mentions bitterness in that verse.  When a person becomes offended and doesn’t deal with that offense correctly, it becomes embedded in the heart and soul….and turns into bitterness. If we’re not careful, we can become so inwardly infected with bitterness that we are outwardly affected in our appearance and disposition. Then comes the rage, anger, slander and maybe, even brawling that the scripture refers to.

It’s time for a self-examination!  If you find yourself constantly saying negative things about someone who has offended you or upset you in the past it may be that a root of bitterness is trying to grow inside your heart!  That’s when it’s time to call The Master Surgeon and repent before Him; ask Him to rip those destructive roots clean out of your heart.  If we don’t, the roots of bitterness will go down deep into the soil of our soul, and eventually we will be filled with bitter fruit.

God, please replace any bitter fruit in our lives with sweet, Christ-like fruit which, of course, includes the fruit of joy!

  As words flow from our lips today, may we be prayerful and careful that they are free from bitterness and filled with joy.

Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit! Bring Him Joy!

             Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Ephesians 4: 29 talks about not letting unwholesome talk come out of our mouths.  That’s one good way to serve “joy” to those around us!

            What happens when we don’t allow God control over our words?  Unwholesome talk escapes our lips! Verse 30 of that same passage says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.”   Does this mean that when we allow hurtful words, critical remarks, angry retorts to spew from our lips, that we have GRIEVED the Holy Spirit?

              I researched what this word “grieved” means in the context it is used in this verse.  The word denotes a pain or grief that can only be experienced between two people who deeply love each other.        This tells us that the relationship that exists between the Holy Spirit and us is precious! God is deeply in love with us! Are we in love with Him? 

              We need to realize how special the Holy Spirit is in our lives and honor Him by making sure that we live wholesome, upright, holy lives.  That includes the words that come from our mouths, the attitudes we have toward each other, our behavior on a day to day basis! Let’s bring JOY to the Holy Spirit instead of grieving Him.  When we commit to doing this, joy will become a natural part of our lives!

Think before you speak; pray before you open your mouth….and allow the joy of the Lord to spring forth from a heart of love.  

May Our Words Be Joyfully Wholesome

           Have you had your Joy Juice today?  While reading my Bible and sipping my Joy Juice, I came across the scripture in Ephesians 4:29; “Let not any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful in building others up according to their need, that it may benefit those who listen.”

            Oh, my! Numerous times I have miserably failed in this area.  Those times when I lost my cool with my children and said things that were not “helpful in building them up”…..the times when I carelessly pass on gossip without even considering who it may hurt….and the occasions when my words have been judgmental and critical of others. 

            How can we be sure that the words that come out of our mouths are “wholesome”?  We should start by repenting. We’ve all fallen short in this area. Let’s be willing to allow God to be in control of our thoughts, your reactions and our words. Before we open our mouths, we should ask ourselves, “Would Jesus say this?” “Are my words going to be helpful in building this person up?”  “Will the people who hear my words benefit as they listen?”

            If the answer to any of these questions is NO, let’s determine to be quiet until God fills our mouth with HIS words…Words that will bring encouragement and joy to those who will hear.

May the words that we speak today fill others with joy and benefit all who listen.  

Swallow the Fruit of Self-Control and Find Joy

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  The last fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 may not seem as “tasty” as the others. It’s the fruit of SELF-CONTROL.

            “Self-control or “temperance” simply means to “have the strength to control the “self”.  We know this is a losing battle until we surrender totally to Christ.  This fruit of the Spirit called self-control makes all the other fruit operative.  Ask yourself:  Do I exhibit self-control in my daily walk?

            The Bible gives us instruction:

•  2 Corinthians 10:5 reminds us that we are to keep control of our thought, taking every thought captive.

• James 3 tells us to guard our tongues.  We are told explicitly not to lie, bear false witness, or gossip.

• James 4: that we are to avoid sinning in our relationships with others---

            These are just some of ways God instructs us to use self-control.  And He knows that we need His help!   The Holy Spirit will work in our hearts to help us live above sinful practices, if we will allow Him.  As a result, we can model God’s values as we allow His power to help us daily; then we can more effectively share His love for others and spread His joy.

 Allow God to guard your thoughts and your words; ask Him to give you the fruit of the Spirit so that you may be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled! (Galatians 5)

Wait in Gentleness and Receive Joy

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?   We’ve tasted lots of fruit these past few days, but here’s another delicious one we need to try…GENTLENESS.

Jesus is the perfect example! In Matthew 11:29, He said, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

            Gentleness….some versions use the word “meekness”...not to be confused with  WEAKNESS!  Gentleness describes a calm disposition, particularly under fire--which actually requires a great deal of strength.

One of the most familiar nursery rhymes is about Humpty Dumpty.  You remember:  "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again." Charles Swindoll says that little nursery ryhme was originally written about people; broken people; who fell off the wall and found themselves smashed. Ever felt that way? All the King’s horses and all the King’s men can not put us back together again. But God can, and through our Christian gentleness He will.

          Andrew Murray, the great South African 19th Century preacher, put it like this: “The Spirit teaches me to yield my will entirely to the Will of the Father. He opens my ear to wait in great gentleness and teachableness of soul for what the Father has day by day to speak and teach. He discovers to me how union with God’s will is union with God himself; how entire surrender to God’s will is the Father’s claim, the son’s example and the true blessedness of soul.” 

  Joyfully accept your opportunities to bear the beautiful fruit of gentleness! 

Stand "Joyfully" Firm in Your Faith

             Have you had your Joy Juice today?  The Fruit of the Spirit is something that all Christians should desire as a part of their daily spiritual diet.  The fruit on our menu for today is FAITHFULNESS. 

            In 1 Corinthians 16:13, Paul teaches that each should “stand firm in your faith”.  That means that we should not get discouraged and give up easily.  Faith can make us ultimately strong, because it gives us the ground on which to stand.  Standing firm, being faithful in even the little things is imperative to growing in our spiritual walk.

            Too many of us are not faithful in the little things.  We sometimes break our promises, don’t follow through on an obligation or don’t show up for engagements.  Some people fail to pay their debts promptly.  How can we demonstrate faithfulness in ALL things?  We can start by being on time for work or appointments; by making that phone call to the person who God has prompted us to encourage and especially, by faithfully spending time with Him.

            “The person who is always dependable, who is faithful in the least, as well as in the greatest, whose life and character are true through and through, gives out a light in this world which honors Christ and (brings JOY to) others.”  (Rev. James R. Miller from God’s Treasury of Virtues.)

 Lamentations 3:23 says:   “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning”.  Start fresh today and be joyous in His faithfulness.