30 Day Sibling Challenge - Day Nine

Day Nine – True Joy
But the fruit of the Spirit is….joy. Romans 5:22

The next component of fruit is joy. Like love I will explain what exactly that is. It is not being happy all the time. Life is full of conflict and to deny that or any sadness would just be being fake which is less than human. Our emotions do not surprise God, He created them. God gave us an array of emotions that need to be expressed. The Psalms give great testimony to this truth. However what true joy is is what we will be looking at next.

This joy from the Spirit of God is defined as gladness. Despite what is going on around us we can submit to God and be glad. There can be joy found in any circumstance. God will always give us something to be glad about no matter how hard things are.

John 15:9-11 states, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.^”

When we think about the joy of Jesus, we understand that it isn’t the same as what we often think of as "happiness" or "excitement." The joy of Jesus is not the pleasure of a life of ease; it is the exhilaration of being right with God, and consciously walking in His love and care. We can have that joy, and have it as an abiding presence (Enduringword.com).

Referring to “That your joy may be full”: This is the result of abiding in Jesus’ love, and obedience flowing from that abiding relationship (enduringword.com).

1-Do you think you live out joy in your life? Why or why not?

2-Ask your sibling if they see you as a joy filled person or not? What can you do to improve?

Today’s Action
Take some time today just to sit together with your siblings. Go outside and look at the clouds or watch birds. Do something in God’s creation and experience just the joy of belonging to an amazing Father God who loves you deeply and completely. 

Parent’s Action
Take time to make sure this happens. Experiencing the joy of God with another person binds them closer together. Be creative in helping them in this.

Posted in: 30 day sibling challenge, Bible Study