Joy....

Hi Guys!

So today, we carry on with the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and the next one we will be learning about it is joy.

 I have really been thinking about what Joy really means and this is my understanding :

"Joy is not like happiness. Happiness can lead to one feeling very excited, a rush of emotions, jumping up, shouting etc......Joy is a calm, confident peace. The feeling doesn't go away based on the circumstance.....in fact it strengthens us in every circumstance."

Jesus Himself demonstrated this here, as we can see :

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:2

Jesus' human nature did not want to go to the cross. It terrified Him, so much so He bled blood, His blood pressure was extremely high!!

But because of the joy of seeing us receive salvation, entering into His Kingdom due to His perfect sacrifice, He went through with it!

The joy of seeing His friends, brothers, sisters (this is what He now calls us, see John 15:15) entering into eternal life.......is what helped Him endure the unimaginable.

I believe when we truly have this joy, we are able to go through, resist and withstand anything that comes our way. The joy of our salvation in Christ Jesus will strengthen us no matter what our circumstances may be.

We must truly seek for this joy each and every day to grow more and more.

Be blessed.