Christmas Devotion – Dec. 29: Focus on joy, not this world

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” Galatians 5:22

There is that word again. Joy. Do you think it is important to God that we experience joy? I am getting the message loud and clear. Not only does Jesus promise it to us as we remain in Him like branches grafted to the Vine, but the Holy Spirit provides it as a fruit of His presence in our life. Put plainly, God wants us to have joy in our lives. There are certainly times of suffering that make it difficult to have joy. But in general, God wants us to experience joy.

If we don’t have joy in our lives, and we are not experiencing a specific trial or suffering, then we should be concerned about our spiritual condition. We might be too tightly tied to this world and its circumstances. We have learned from other devotions that when we are too tightly tied to this world and are walking by sight, our vision is limited. When our vision is limited, we tend to get stressed and worried, which robs us of our joy.

We need to walk by faith! We need to look at our circumstances through the eyes of faith. When we do, we quickly realize that we are still loved and provided for by God. We realize that the Spirit of God still dwells in us and desires for us to live in the benefits of His fruit of joy. It is freeing to let go of the worries of this world and hold on to joy. Let’s try it today. Every time the worries of this world creep up to steal away your joy, give those worries to God and keep the joy He intends for you to have.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church

Let the world see Jesus in you!

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