the fruit of the spirit. part two.

JOY!!!!!

love. JOY. peace. patience. kindness. goodness. faithfulness. gentleness. self control. —

let’s talk about joy!!!

first, i gotta clear a few things up. happiness and joy are not the same thing, though we often use the words interchangeably.

happiness is circumstantial. it comes, and it goes. i read somewhere on google that “happiness is based on ‘happenings’”- and i thought that was such a great way to put it, so i stole the saying. oops.

but that statement is so true. when things are going your way, when you’re on top of the world, you’re happy. then bam- life hits you real hard. there are a few bumps in the road. you get sad. mad. depressed. you let situations in life determine your mood and attitude.

^^^^^^ i am so guilty of this!!!! something minor happens that upsets me and my entire demeanor changes. and i HATE that i allow that to happen. so this message is for me too.

HERE’S WHAT WE ALL NEED INSTEAD: JOY!!!!

joy is different from happiness because joy is LASTING. it comes from the LORD!!!!

“you reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.” Psalm 16:11.

when you have joy, you are full. you can search for things in life that are of this world to fill the void in your heart, but the only thing that can complete you is Jesus Christ. you might search for joy in relationships. search for happiness in partying. in bad habits. all of that might satisfy you for a little while, but let me go ahead and break it to ya- you will feel empty again. you’ll always feel like something is missing. you will always long for something more.

“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and JOY in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17.

if you want contentment, read your Bible. pray daily. talk to God. talk to others about God. do things that are pleasing to the Lord. have a relationship with the Almighty. you will feel SO full!!

it’s okay to get upset. it happens to all of us. but do not dwell on the bad in your life! next time you get super frustrated or you just feel really down, remember all that God has done for you. remember what He is capable of. (pretty sure our God is the only one who can paint a sunrise like that!!!! ^^^^^)

also, remember how much you are loved by Him. do not let your circumstances bring you down!!! remember that every set back in your life is just the Lord setting you up for something greater!!! HE IS AT WORK AMIDST YOUR STRUGGLES. FIND JOY IN THAT!!!!

“ consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” -James 1:2-3.

joy: Jesus, Others , and then Yourself. (see what i did there??) if God comes first in your life and if you are last, you will feel full.

ALSO I WANNA SHARE A FEW THINGS THAT ALWAYS BRIGHTEN MY DAY AND HELP REMIND ME TO HAVE JOY!!!

- Jesus music. start your day with it. if you just ask me to, i’ll send you all 95 songs in my Jesus playlist. but the top songs have to be:

ok really any crowder or lauren daigle song is the best. like the kind where you’re jamming so hard while driving that next thing you know, you’re going like 10 over the speed limit and you’re crying and your hands are in the air cause you’re praising God (not really safe but it be like that sometimes)

- another thing: sunsets!!! they are a reminder of how awesome God is!!!

be joyful today!!! :-)

thank you so much for reading!! God bless you!!!