AHSS: Fruit of the Spirit (Lesson 4)

Living by the Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These lessons from the Learn It, Live It Bible Studies are to help you learn about each of these qualities and how you can live by God’s Spirit and grow in fruit. Find a quiet place with a peaceful view or play some soothing music to get you ready to grow in your faith. Journal about or discuss the lessons with a friend or two. Go back to the lesson and take a second look to see if you discover something new or have a change of perspective. It is your journey to take, and the path always leads to a closer relationship with God.

Galatians 5:22-23 – Joy

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”. To have life abundantly is more than to have a life that never ends; rather, it is to have life as God originally intended it to be, full of meaning and joy. But the truth is that many of us don’t experience life in that way. For far too many of us, life too easily becomes humdrum.

Perhaps this is why writer C.S. Lewis titled the biography of his early life Surprised by Joy. He went from nominal Christianity to embracing atheism before finally being converted to a more vital Christian faith. Joy came through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Joy is something different than being happy or excited all of the time. Instead, joy is being able to maintain a strongly positive feeling about life and to praise God for life even in the midst of sorrows and setbacks. This is the quality Paul had and urged on others when he wrote from a Roman jail, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

The Holy Spirit helps us to have and maintain this attitude of joy.
How would you define Joy? How is it different from similar concepts such as happiness, excitement, or ecstasy?
 
Read Psalm 103:1-5, Psalm 105:1-3, and Psalm 106:1-3.