The Fruit of the Spirit

By: Melissa Baker

Love- God loves each and every one of us so very much! Because God loves us, we need to love others as well.  1 John 4:7-11

Joy- True joy comes from God. You can experience true joy regardless of your situation. The Joy of the Lord is our strength! Psalm 28:7

Peace- We have true peace when we have a relationship with Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Patience- This is one area that can sometimes be the most challenging to demonstrate. however we must try our best to have patience. Colossians 3:12-15

Kindness- The importance of kindness is something we are taught when we are kids, but we sometimes forget just how important it really is to be kind. Jesus showed kindness to all people, so shouldn't we? Ephesians 4:32

Goodness- God created this world and everything in it. God wants us to experience the goodness of his creation. Let's slow down and experience God's goodness around us, and seek only the good things. Amos 5:14-15

Faithfulness- Everybody wants faithful people in our lives that will be there for us and that we can count on. Let's chose to be the kind of faithful person that we would want in our own lives. God is always faithful! And we can always count on Him! 1 Corinthians 1:9

Gentleness- Jesus was a great example of gentleness. Gentleness is something that is actually quite powerful and is the thing that can attract the most people to Jesus. In a world full of harshness, lets remember to be gentle. Philippians 4:5

Self Control- This can really be a struggle for a lot of people. Self control allows us to take over our actions and thoughts instead of just acting on our feelings alone. Proverbs 25:28

'But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There
is no law against these things!'

Galatians 5:22-23

Have a great day!

Finding Your Lost Joy

By: Melissa Baker 

What is something that is very easy for you to lose? Your keys? Your phone? Your sanity? Yes, all of these are very easy to lose, but there is something even easier to lose if you are not careful. Your Joy. You can lose it with a text, email or phone call. One conversation. One situation. One downfall, and you can lose your joy.

When we as God's children are not filled with joy, it not only makes for a bad time, but it also makes God look bad. Grumpy and cranky christians are a very bad witness. If we are constantly going around angry, sad or just plain unpleasant, who in their right mind would want what we have? The Bible tells us that the christian life can be summed up in three words: goodness, peace and joy. Romans 14:17 says: "The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."  Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit! We should strive to have joy in our hearts, no matter what we are going through. The truth is, I struggle with having joy. Situations and circumstances often get me down and cause me lose my joy. But I have a feeling I am not alone. There are so many ways that people, yes even christians, can lose their joy. If you have ever gone through a time where you feel like you have lost your spark and you are not as close to God as you used to be, or maybe you are just going thru the motions of this life, you might have lost your joy. Wherever you are, just know that you can get it back. You can have the joy of the Lord present in your life again! So, how do we get our joy back? Well, first we have to admit we have lost it. We have to recognize that it is slowly fading or even completely gone. Examine your heart and see if maybe you are not as joyful as you once were. 

If you desire to have joy again, now is the time to make the change! Start asking God to restore your joy that you once had. "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." Psalm 51:12. If you struggle with having joy, that should be your prayer. Focusing on God instead of your trials will automatically inspire joy. Sometimes, we get so caught up in everything that is going bad and it blurs our vision and changes our focus from God to our problems. We have to intentionally focus on God! Worship God and thank Him for everything He has done. The closer you get to God, the more joy and peace you will have in your heart, and in your life. 

This world needs more joy, so let's start with us! 

Have a great day!