A heart of joy
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness." (NIV) Galatians 5:22
Many people are propagating the theory that people of God should not experience “bitter” life. It’s often important to assure unhappy and discouraged Christians that Jesus himself sometimes plumbed the emotional depths. But it’s equally important to guard against the opposite extreme, as if joy were a luxury we could well do without. How can you a have a joyful heart if you keep accumulating uncontrolled anger and grief in you? Everybody wants to be happy but sometimes we are not ready to commit to what brings joy. Being a man of sorrows was only one side of Jesus’ life when he observed humanity and the course he will go through to save us. Wherever the Spirit is, there is joy (Galatians 5:22). Christians should not merely be interested in the anticipation of joy; we should be ready to partake in the joy of anticipating in spiritual matters. This should be a key element in our psychology as we seek to obey the Lord. Indeed, joy is part of the spiritual profile of every Christian.
Joy has little to do with our natural temperament or with our personal circumstances. Joy comes from the decisions you take to be on the side of God. True joy never comes through physical means as many people hope. It is the fruit of the Spirit. It is worth noting that when Paul uses that phrase, he speaks not of “fruits” in the plural, but of “fruit”. The fruit is one indivisible whole, which means that whenever the Spirit comes to live in a human soul the result is love and joy and peace, and all the others which the apostle mentions in Galatians 5:22–23. It is one fruit, with many segments. There cannot, therefore, not be only joy in a Christian heart. Even its temporary absence is a symptom of some underlying spiritual malady.
On the other hand, the fruit of the Holy Spirit is not produced mechanically but grows up like the seed which germinates. It is the result of a living relationship with the Holy Spirit. We bear it only if we keep in step with him. When we grieve the Spirit, our own joy withers. We grieve the spirit when we tend to keep the evils of others whiles we are seriously seeking forgiveness from God.
But not only is the Spirit the one who personally produces this fruit in believers. He produces it by focusing our minds on spiritual things: those very things which the natural man cannot receive (1 Corinthians 2:14). Specifically, he fills our hearts with joy by focusing our minds not on joy itself, but on the majesty of God, the beauty of Christ and the unsearchable riches which are ours in him. Wrong things will always be present with us. The Christian focuses on the right issues of life through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Anger, bitterness and revenge in our hearts will sure not produce joy in our hearts. Let us clear all the negative taught and allow the Spirit of God to fill and direct us to enjoy the inner peace of God i.e. joy. Amen