Love is where our faith journey begins. If love did not exist, neither would we.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish” John 3:16.
After we discover love we are introduced to joy,
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10.
You simply cannot experience true love without also embracing joy. As we work through Galatians 5:22-25 in the upcoming weeks we will see how the fruit of the Spirit is conclusive. They go together seamlessly and they are given to us by the Holy Spirit when we choose to accept the love straight from our Creator.
We have all heard and read Bible verses on Love, how it is patient and kind, how it does not boast, how we are to love our enemies, etc. We have also heard that God is love. When you Google “love” it says, “a quality or feeling of strong or CONSTANT affection for and dedication to another. Constant affection for and dedication to another. We know that God is constant. Therefore, He has a constant strong affection and dedication to us, His children. There is nothing we can do to change that, no matter our past or future mistakes, he will always love us. He will always be dedicated to us with strong affection. Let that soak in. As it soaks in, we feel an overwhelming feeling that comes directly from our Savior; Joy.
Google also tells us that joy is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. Reflecting on how God has loved us through our journey, we feel comforted in knowing that he has and will always love us, thus bringing joy to our life.
I have been a follower of Jesus for 25 years, I have studied God’s Word and learned from other believers. It amazes me that after 25 years I am still learning. God is still showing me knew things every day. As I studied for this blog I had a revelation that I honestly feel I should have had several years ago but for some reason God wanted me to have it now.
I remember praying for my children to come to know the Lord. I desired for them to know Jesus as their Savior and to feel the comfort only He can bring. I longed to know that I would rejoice with them in Heaven. When my youngest came to me and told me that they had accepted the Lord I felt overwhelming emotions that lead to tears of joy. When reading through the Bible, all the examples of how God welcomed sinners to him, I now have a better understanding of the joy God feels. When we receive our gift of salvation from God and the Holy Spirit enters our heart, we receive the Fruit of the Spirit. Then it hit me. I know some of you reading this have already figured this part out….however apparently there are some of us that are just now getting this memo! Are you ready for this? The Holy Spirit gives us love and joy. Not just any love and joy but THE love and joy directly from our Heavenly Father!
Do you see it? If it has not hit you yet, go back to your moment of salvation. That intense time that you realized your sin, you realized that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, and believing in Him brings us directly to the Father. Do you remember the overwhelming, rushing emotion that consumed you? THAT, sweet friend, was HIS joy.
Wow, I know! However, how do we keep that joy in our faith journey? We keep our connection alive with
God. See, he wants an ongoing relationship with us. He doesn’t want us just to come to him then walk away. He wants to be in our life daily. Our salvation brings him joy and also our continued obedience. I can’t help but visualize every time I’m obedient, the smile that must appear on his face. As we walk in the spirit, obeying God, we are directly connected to him and feel his joy.
If you are in a season where love and joy seem distant, take some time to reflect on your relationship with Christ. Are you spending the time with him he desires from us? Are you seeking him daily? Or are you consumed with the hustle and bustle of the life you have created for yourself? I challenge you to EXCHANGE your business for focus. Focus on the things of Christ, reconnect with your Father and re-discover the love and joy that He is anxiously awaiting to share with you.
