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And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. Isaiah 35:10
D.L. MOODY
I think there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happy-ness is caused by things which happen around me, and circumstances will mar it, but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecution and opposition; it is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring which the world can’t see and doesn’t know anything about. The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him.
ERWIN LUTZER
There was a pastor who was baptizing a new convert. This new believer had the kind of joy that we, who are older converts, ought to have; and this convert, after being baptized shouted, “I am so full of joy, I will never be tempted again.” The pastor wisely said to him, “In order for you to have that blessing, I would have had to keep you under the water a little longer.” Yes, that’s right. Someday, we’ll never be tempted again, but not right now.
We must ever realize that when we get saved, God does a great miracle. He creates something within us that wasn’t there before: a new nature. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God makes a place in our lives where His Holy Spirit, whom we love and whose companionship we crave, can dwell within us. And He births within us qualities that are supernatural, things that are totally contrary to the flesh. When we walk in the Spirit and obey God’s Word, we grow in Christ’s likeness. The result is that we bear fruit, including the fruit of “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8).
PRAYER
Father, thank you for the joy of my salvation. Grant me the healing fruit of a joyful heart.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How have you seen the fruit of the Spirit grow in your life?What are something things in your life that need to be pruned so that you can bear more fruit?