For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, Romans 14:17 NIV
What was one of your best Christmas gifts that you ever received? For many your answer would be need to be qualified by “which age?”. You may remember the surprise gift but as you get older you understand the value of a quality gift. One of my gifts was a combination record player, radio and 8 track player system. I still have a few Christian records that were played on that system…although the scratches are many.
Some gifts are given on special occasions like Christmas and birthdays. Other gifts are available just because you are a member of the family. I am speaking from a parents perspective. The whole family enjoyed the benefits of the vacation trip which included accommodations, meals, and entertainment. As a child, you may only be interested in what is next, but the whole trip is really a gift for the family.
Three gifts for the family of God are aspects of His kingdom -righteousness, peace and joy. These three are present wherever the Holy Spirit is honored and leading. He brings these gifts with him. Our only role is to receive them by faith.
Joy from the Holy Spirit is a deeper emotion than laughter or just feeling good, although you may experience both of those emotions. You can have His joy even in the middle of intense turmoil that may be surrounding you. You can have joy while anticipating a difficult conversation or event. Jesus experienced joy while knowing that the cross was before him.
We receive this type of joy by faith and not by feeling. You don’t wait until you feel happy to say that you now have joy. Rather, you ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart, mind, and spirit with His joy. As a child of God, it is part of your inheritance. By faith, ask Him to help you live, walk, and experience joy throughout your day..
Father God, thank you for your constant love for me. Thank you for the many blessings that You give over my life. I ask that You fill my life with the joy of the Holy Spirit. May this be part of the aroma of my life that others experience from me. In Jesus name, amen.
Blessings Love y’all