“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9
We move to joy today, the second
fruit of the Spirit. Let me say first
that the basic assumption about ALL the fruits of the Spirit IS that they are
fruits of the Spirit – they all are the result of the Spirit’s work in us. So the joy described above is not one we
produce ourselves; it comes from us inviting the Spirt to be at work in us.
It is a joy that stems from our
redemption (“salvation” in the verse above).
Our messy and imperfect lives are somehow taken by God and redeemed into
something deeply gratifying and joy-producing.
Examples from my own life:
·
Sorrow for loved ones lost is, over time,
transformed into gratitude for the time I had with them and a different kind of
connection to them as they join “the great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1)
·
Health scares with my children have given me a
unique connection and compassion with others who have are going through similar
scares
·
My own failings/sin had led me to teachers and
resources that have helped me become a more whole disciple and God has used
them to heal brokenness in me.
·
The pandemic forced me to learn new things, become
even more clear about the church’s mission, and finally got me writing every
day, something I’ve felt called to do for years before that.
·
The death of George Floyd and the events since
then has led me to a time of intense self-examination of my white privilege and
my participation in hidden systems of injustice and has called be to be better.
I could go on and on.
The point is that I look at the list above and I am connected with a joy
that is hard to describe. It is not a
joy synonymous with happiness, for much of the above list does not include
happiness. It is a joy that buoys my
Spirit in a way that defies logical explanation. It is a joy that provides evidence for God is
working in my life and in the world. The
word joy is a way to describe the Spirit’s fingerprints on my spirit. I am so grateful for that joy.
And I pray right now for you to
have that same “inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end
result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
We’ll continue our talk about this
joy next time.
Prayer: God, we are a
time that few would describe as joyous.
But we believe you have given access to a Spirit-born joy that cannot be
snuffed out. Give us that joy today and
every day. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for your closest friends and family today.
Song: Joy – For King and
Country
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