Episode #388 Joy Isn’t Something You Create – Fruit That Grows in Freedom

Hey, friends. Today we're talking about the fruit that grows in freedom. And I started thinking about the fruit of the Spirit in part because for several years as I was growing up, my mom would do a fruit of the Spirit summer activity with us. She had this really great book that sadly is out of print, and each of the stories in this book were relating physical fruit like cantaloupe and lemons to fruit of the Spirit. And as this farmer was growing his crops, we as kids would listen to these stories about what the fruit of the Spirit meant.

So we're in summertime as I'm recording this, and I started thinking about the fruit of the Spirit, which naturally led me to thinking about one of my long-standing misconceptions about it. And I tried for a lot of years to prove that I was a Christian by trying to create and produce the fruit that I knew I was supposed to have. I thought that the evidence of me following Jesus and his maturing work in my life was something that I had to conjure up and kinda manufacture on my own. I even pictured it as me trying to duct tape lemons or bananas to my exterior because I didn't know how to partner with God as His Spirit did the producing of His fruit in my life.

And so that's what we're gonna be talking about in this episode about joy. Because I have good news for us. The fruit of the Spirit isn't something that you and I have to manufacture. It's something that grows in us as we live with God.

Now, joy is participation in God's delight and goodness. It lasts longer, it runs deeper than just happiness. It's independent of circumstances. We get to take part in delighting in God and living from the goodness of who He is, and that brings us joy that we simply can't make up or produce on our own.

And I have found, for me and for many others, that one of the reasons we can struggle to find joy is that we're treating it like a project. But joy isn't something that you have to achieve. You don't have to fake your way into it or work hard enough to somehow be able to uncover the joy that's been missing in your life. Joy is something that you receive. We see this correlation anytime we talk about literal plants growing. A tree doesn't have to think really hard to try and produce oranges, and by its own effort, it doesn't decide what kind of tree it is. The tree is planted in good soil and receives the nutrients that it needs. And then grows, and the fruit is produced as a natural byproduct.

We see this also in John chapter fifteen when Jesus is talking about how He is the vine and we are the branches, and how we grow as we stay connected to Him, abiding in Him. And then as we stay connected to Him, He produces His fruit in us.

But I wanna jump ahead a little bit to John 15:11. And He says, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." I love this verse because it highlights for us that the joy doesn't come from us. Jesus isn't saying, "These things I have spoken to you that you would produce your own joy, that you would muster up the ability to have joy in what I've instructed you about."

He's saying, “I have given you this instruction. I have given you this insight about where the fruit comes from. You're a branch connected to the vine so that my joy may be in you.”

I hope that takes some pressure off you today if you've felt like you're lacking joy or if you simply would like more joy in your life, because that is something we can receive from God continually.

Joy isn't something we have to create. Joy isn't something we have to achieve. It's something that we can receive, and we can continue receiving it in increasing measure. And so I invite you to take this conversation to God today to see what He would share with you.

And here's our question:

God, what's something I have misunderstood about joy, and what do you offer me instead?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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