FRUIT OF JOY

FRUIT OF JOY

Excerpt from

A Life’s Symphony of Joy

By

Rev. Susan R. Slade

Precious Jewels

Ministries

One of the evidences of being in relationship with Jesus; and, therefore, filled with the Holy Spirit, is the presence of joy. According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, “JOY is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the present or assured approaching possession of a good.” Joy is not an emotion determined by circumstances. Joy is a gift from God Himself that is eternal. This gift lays dormant until and unless a person receives salvation through Jesus Christ. In believing that Jesus is the Son of God who died to pay the debt of our sin and was raised to life, we receive the Holy Spirit and the joy of the Lord. Fruit takes time to be cultivated. We do not instantaneously exhibit all the character qualities listed here. But the Father begins nurturing them as soon as we come to Christ.

Do you see these attributes growing in your own life, and can you spot them in others? Nourish your life, your fruit tree, with the word of God and pray to bear good fruit. Stay plugged in to the vine, Jesus, for apart from Him, you cannot bear fruit. John 15:4-5, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”