Literally, the “Fruit of the Holy Spirit” manifests when the Holy Spirit dwells in a believer. The fruit is the product of the Holy Spirit cultivated in a believer. St Paul in Galatians 5: 22-23 says as stated above. The word “Joy” simply means to be glad.
There is a great difference between Joy and Happiness. Happiness can be related to what happens to us while, joy is something we can have no matter what happens to us. We feel happy when everything is going on well for us. If someone gives you a lot of money, it would probably make you happy. For others, always having new clothes makes them happy. However, when we do not get the things that we want we become sad, depressed or even angry.
On the contrary, Joy is something we can have even when things are not going on well in our lives. It could be any kind of suffering. True Joy is something God gives us even when things are not going on well. Joy comes with knowing that no matter what happens to us our heavenly Father is in control of our lives and we will have eternal life. Hebrew 12:2 says this about Jesus” For the Joy that was set before HIM, He endured the cross despising the shame…” Jesus had Joy because He knew that His Father was in control of everything that is happening to Him and that when His suffering was finished, His Father would be honored for what He was doing.
Often someone may lose Joy in life because his attention is on things that do not have lasting value. The main goal of a believer ‘s life is to live in such a way that God is deeply honored by it. When we live that way, the Holy Spirit produces Joy in our lives. God wants us to take away our eyes from visible and temporary things and focus on things that are invisible and eternal. “As we look not to the things that are seen but things that are unseen, for things that are seen are transient but things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4: 18.
The Holy Spirit infuses this kind of life with Joy, and it is this kind of life that brings glory and honor to God.
Simply knowing that we are God’s children and that we will spend eternity in heaven with Him should bring great joy into our lives. Knowing that nothing that happens in life can prevent God from accomplishing His perfect will on our lives, should bring us great joy. Knowing also that our heavenly Father has forgiven us all our sins, should bring us great joy.
James 1:2 says, “count it all Joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds”. James said that God was in complete control of everything that would happen to him. He knew that nothing could separate him from the love of God that he had in Knowing Jesus Christ as his savior.
As believers and members of the body of the Christ, the more the Christ-like we are the greater our Joy will be even when life does not seem to treat us fairly. As we await the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
May we ask for the gift of Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord and may our Mother Mary intercede for us and may we experience true Joy in our lives even during all our challenges. Remember that Jesus tells us to take courage because He has conquered the world and that He will send us the Holy spirit. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit so as to resist temptation as Jesus had promised us that whoever follows Him will not have darkness but will have the light of life.
Bearing this in mind, we must to seek, serve and Love God unconditionally so that we can enjoy the Love of God and Joy, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
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