This fruit of joy because it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit coming from deep within is amazingly incomprehensible. For example look at the list of hardships and difficulties the Apostle Paul went through for the Lord Jesus and the gospel in 2 Corinthians 11:22-23; in labors, beatings, imprisoned, stoned, shipwrecked, in dangers […]
Last week we looked at our joy in Him, today we are looking at His joy in us. God wants His people to be joyful; 1 John 1:3-4 indicates that there is a joy associated with fellowshipping with each other which has its roots in fellowship “with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ…” […]
Ephesians 2:8 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” It is the Lord Jesus Christ that has opened the door of “access…into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is…joy” Galatians 5:22.The prophet Isaiah in a song of praise describes the abundant joy of God’s salvation procured through the Messiah, the Anointed one, Jesus, saying, “Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation” Isaiah 12:3. This leads us to the words of Jesus Himself in […]
Today we begin to look at the second fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives which is Joy. Joy is a feeling of gladness, happiness, and delight; it is expressed with rejoicing, and is the opposite of gloom and depression! In the natural Joy requires favorable circumstances to be operative; but let’s face […]
As we continue to follow the fruit of the Holy Spirit this will be our fourth and final meditation in this series on the one called love. Today we are looking at God’s love for us and how it affects us in our relationship with others. God says “Yes, I have loved you with an […]
This is the third week we are looking at the fruit of the Holy Spirit called love, which is the first of this fruit listed in Galatians 5:22, and is also a key component in our witness for the Lord Jesus according to John 13:35. The Bible actually says in 1 John 4:8 “He who […]
In Romans 8:26-28 the Apostle teaches us about the Holy Spirit helping us in our weaknesses. The Greek word here is Parakletos meaning someone who is an intercessor, comforter, helper, advocate, and/or a counselor. Outside of the Biblical setting it is technically an attorney who goes to court on behalf of another. Jesus uses the […]
When the Psalmist speaks of the Lord preparing a table for us in psalm 23, I believe He is thinking of all the good things God has provided for us. The moment you accept Him as your shepherd He commits to caring for you like a shepherd cares for his sheep, and He begins a […]
In the Bible wind is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit. In Ezekiel 37:1-14 we have an interesting story where the prophet is transported in vision into a valley of dry bones; there have been at least four different views of the meaning of this vision, perhaps all having validation. But one thing […]