Understanding the Fruits of the Spirit - Joy

The Bible refers to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 and Ephesians 5:9. The fruit is singular, because however manifold it is, it refers to one harmonious whole. It is "fruit" in contrast with the sinful acts of mankind which are called "works of the flesh."

The manifestations of the Spirit are called fruit because they make one fruitful in the eyes of God.

One aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. Being joyful because of worldly pleasure is not what joy from the Spirit is about.

Joy is often a lost cause. The physical things we are engaged in produce almost as much negative emotions as positive. Many people have as many feelings of despair and futility as joy. In contrast, things of God are all positive for the obedient.

The fruit of the Spirit refers to the qualities that the Spirit of God produces in believers. It comes from learning the ways of God and acting on them.

Jesus indicated that when you do what he tells you in the New Testament, you will be blessed and joyful (John 13:17) Do you see how it works? When you act on your faith, he gives you joy. There is a special connection with the Lord when you do for him what you love to do.

He gave you a unique ability and when you use it for his cause, he gives you joy.

The disciples of Christ were spoken of as full of joy in the Holy Spirit in Scripture (Acts 13:52). This is a bonus for being in Christ. You may find some joy in physical things, but it cannot compare with what God has prepared for the obedient. We are not to glory in riches or wisdom, but in the fact that we know God, because he acts with steadfast love, justice and righteousness

Jesus said, "I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete" (First John 15:11).

In Bible days when people obeyed God and realized their sins were forgiven and they would have a home in heaven, they leaped for joy and praised God. You may feel too sophisticated for an outward show of emotion, but you can at least have joy in your heart that your name is written in the book of life.

If you are not a Christian, you know nothing of the fruit or gifts of the Spirit. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of the Spirit. They are foolishness to him. They are unable to understand them. They are spiritually discerned. To obtain them you must repent of your sins, confess Jesus as the son of God, and be baptized for the remission of your sins. You will then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Fruits Of The Spirit

After a candidate received the Sacrament of Confirmation, and he receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Church teaches that these gifts bear fruits, the Fruits of the Spirits. These fruits are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Generosity, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Self-Control and Chastiy.

The Fruits of the Spirit is a concept found in Chapter 5 :22 of Galatians and given the name Fruit because it was meant to imply harvest or the result of the Gifts the Holy Spirit gives during Confirmation.

The fruit of love is also known as agape love and there is a full description of love from Corinthians 13:4-8. It is often read at weddings because it fully describes what love should be. Agape and Eros are defined in Greek in this way. Eros is the physical love where as agape love is the mature love and transcends physical attraction.

Joy is beyond happiness, which is just conditional or emotional. You can be happy or experience happiness when eat a good dinner. Joy is a state of mind that often involves being in fellowship with God. People often say that they have an internal feeling of joy and have a general feeling of well being.

Peace is having a restful relationship with God. In obtaining this, the confirmed is more receptive to the will of go and what he is seeking from God. Life becomes less chaotic. God can still be present in time of conflict but the confirmed realizes that God has not left them.

Patience is the ability to endure and be strong. It's also the ability to better mirror Jesus with his ability to be patient with us. Patience is also a way to better carry our crosses without any upset. There are several levels of patience. The basic level is no complaining, second level is making progress in times of hardship. Lastly, the highest level is to desire a cross and accept it willingly.

Kindness is having sympathy and understanding for others and showing concern for those in need. This may be done though actions or just simple words of encouragement. On receiving the Spirit should innately be more kind because of the agreement to be more Christ-like.

Goodness is attained when the candidate is more in tune with God and what his will is for us. Conjoined is Gentleness, having mild disposition and behavior and helping to not being angry or bearing resentment.

The Fruit of Faith is the ability to believe what we cannot see. Faith is part of our intellect and in order to have faith in God we must be willing accept God over that intellect. It is by this faith that we understand the we should not commit sin and follow Christ's blue print to gain entrance into heaven.

Modesty, Self-Control And Chastity are all fruits that tie together. Modesty helps us to avoid offensive behavior even if it is not required in the circumstance. Chastity tempers the desires of the flesh even with in marriage. And in order to act Chaste, you must act with self control especially when dealing with unruly sexual urges.