FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT PART 2-JOY

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The definition of Joy is: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.

Most people have joy only when their life is going well, but as Christians, we can have joy even when things aren’t going our way.

James 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Even when you are going through a hard time, God can give you joy.

Lines

The title is very odd. ‘Lines’. What do I mean by lines? What does that have to do with a

Christian?

By lines, I mean rules you make for yourself and people under you on things to do. This could

be from how you talk to how you dress to how often you go to church.

These self-placed rules can be very good. You may say you won’t wear shorts because you

don’t want to be immodest and displeasing to God, or that you won’t listen to certain types of

music because you don’t think it is pleasing to him.

These are ‘lines’ you can draw to help you be a better Christian, but that doesn’t necessarily

mean that it’s wrong if another Christian wears shorts or listens to that type of music you don’t

think is good.

This is where problems can come in. When you start holding other Christians accountable to

your own rules, it can cause strife and unnecessary divisions amongst Christians. It’s good to try

and live a good life that’s pleasing to God, but other Christians might disagree with you.

You shouldn’t judge a Christian because they listen to a certain type of music, or because they

wear certain types of clothes. There are some things the Bible is very clear about. ‘Thou shalt

not kill’ (speaking of murder). If a Christian murders someone, they have committed a sin. End

of story. But if they listen to a certain type of music you think is wrong, but the Bible does not

explicitly state it’s wrong, that doesn’t mean they’re a bad Christian.

I, personally, think it is wrong to dress certain ways and to speak certain ways. If I do one of

these things and have a guilty conscience about it, I have committed a sin.

To conclude: Don’t judge people on how ‘good of a Christian’ they are because they don’t match

up to all of your rules. Remember that what is truly important is Jesus Christ.

Pink Shorts, Rabid Turkeys, and a Lesson Learned

Have you ever done something that in the moment you thought was right, but then

looked back on it later and cringed? I have done that many, MANY times, but for your sake I will

only relate one incident, which I can still remember well, probably because I told people about it

so many times. It happened a few months ago at the end of summer (oh, so long heat! Guys,

the summers are brutal where I live). My mom and I had just finished grocery shopping, and

were going to refuel our big white van at a big gas station. We were about to pull up to a pump,

when a fancy little truck darted in front of us. My mom slammed on the brakes, because if she

hadn’t there would have been a slight collision. We waited for the person to get out, and, just as

I suspected, a teenager emerged from the small truck. Did I care? No... but it was quite hard to

not cry out in anguish as my eyes were burned by the bright pink swim trunks that this half

dressed kid was wearing.

About fifteen minutes later I found myself staring straight ahead, annoyed with myself for

being such a quack. What had gone on in those previous minutes was a bunch of nonsense. My

mom and I had found another gas pump, and I sat perched in my front seat waiting. Why? For

whom? You know who. I was waiting for that kid to drive by, so I could bring justice. And he did.

I attempted to glare, but unfortunately my glare is just a pathetic squint. So, as he drove by, the

boy saw me squinting at him. We locked eyes. He slowly cruised by, still in a staring

competition. Then all of a sudden his face twisted up, and a noise out a noise that I can only

describe as a dying goat mixed with a rabid turkey rang out through the gas station. It made me

jump. “Last time I ever make a face at a teenage boy” I thought.

The moral of this story is that we need to always be aware of our thoughts and

behaviors, because as Christians we are called to be a light in this world for God’s glory. Every

time my mind wanders back to the contorted face of that boy that is forever branded in my brain,

I am reminded that if I had just had self control, that weird little incident would not have

happened. Even though it was insignificant, I think it was a good reminder for us to be good

representations of Christianity. If I had just looked the other way, and kept my passions at bay,

everything would have been okay, but instead I gave way to my sinful feelings of anger and

annoyance. John 13:34-35 says, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one and

other; as I have loved you, that ye also love one and other. By this shall all men know that ye

are my disciples, if ye have love to one and other.” The way I treated that boy was not right. We

want to act like what we are, Christians. This verse also means that we are to treat fellow

Christians with love, because what would you think if you saw two people arguing in public, and

then you found out that they were Christians? So, in conclusion, let’s be diligent about watching

our behavior. God is always watching, listening, and he knows our every thought. Go out today

and be a light in the world for His glory!

-Dale