Rejoice!
Galatians 5:22-25 (NIV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
This week The Church at Rock Creek will have an event called “The Table,” where the women of Rock Creek will gather to hear from two women as they witness to the joy of Jesus. The theme of this meeting reminded me of a time when I was an early teenager, and I read for the first time about the fruit of the Spirit.
When I read Gal 5:22 I actually became alarmed wondering how these qualities would ever manifest in my life. But then I saw the word “joy” and I thought, “Wait—I have joy! I can focus on that while the Spirit grows these other characteristics in my life.” And that is what I did.
I began to notice situations where it was easy to respond with joy, and as I matured I began to choose joy, whatever the circumstance. At some point, I noticed the joy of the Lord bubbling up inside of me. It happened primarily when I shared my love of Jesus with others. As I read my Bible, scriptures about joy seems to leap from the pages, and the songs we sang even as children took on new meaning.
The chorus “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength” was taken from Nehemiah, as he directed the rebuilding of the walls in Jerusalem against incredible odds. And of course, “I’ve Got the Joy Down in my Heart” is a song we learn as children, but we never forget.
As we prepare for The Table, I look forward to meeting and visiting with women of God, many of whom I have not met in person. And as we focus on “joy,” I am so very thankful that the seeds of joy were planted in me years ago and my immediate response, even in times of stress, is to remember the joy of the Lord is my strength.
May we recognize that the more joy becomes our natural response, the more content we will be and the more peace we will have.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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