...but the fruit of the spirit is JOY (Galatians 5:22).
As soon as it started with the word ‘feeling’ something felt inadequate about the English dictionary’s definition of joy. Not sure joy can be described as a feeling. While you can conveniently describe happiness as a feeling, you cannot do that to joy. Please bear this in mind.
From sending an innocent child to school or crèche before his first birthday to the battle of CGPA in the university, the child feels he will finally have peace when he secure a job, marry and settle down. When he gets there, he discovers there is no such thing as settling down; another chase begins immediately. Man’s search for joy is very real!
Men try to find joy through many means in life. Go to school to get degrees, build a good house for yourself and family, and drive a good car. Drink as much alcohol as you can in bottles of different sizes and colours. Take pleasure in adultery and fornication; enjoy yourself with women in different sizes and colours too. Attend wild parties to sing and dance away...but the moment all of these are over, your worries, problems and challenges resume immediately.
Our man made ways of finding joy: are they not harbingers of trouble on their own? Think about it. Immediately the drunkard is done on the table, his first problem is how to get home safely. Many men have lost their lives in accidents after getting up from that table. Many heads of families, top executives, owners of mansions have slept in gutters simply because they sought happiness from the wrong quarters. Alcohol does not bring joy.
As soon as a man gets off the bed of fornication or adultery, his problem starts. “Hope the girl won’t get pregnant? Hope my wife does not get to know. Hope I have not contacted any disease?” Eventually many of these worries crystallize. Did he not go there looking for joy? If sex were a source of joy, Solomon who established legal access to 1000 women would not describe life as vanity upon vanity. David his father, only brought sword and death into his family the day he slept with another man’s wife. Sex is not the source of joy.
It seems to me that all a man does with his life from birth until death is to try to find happiness. The sorrow and crying that accompanies the death of any man regardless of their achievements (or no achievements at all) in life is a clear indicator that there is no joy here in this world. Jesus is right to say, “...in the world you will find tribulation (John 16:33).”
So what is the source of joy?
A ‘lucky’ few find joy here on earth. Where do they get it?
...but the fruit of the spirit is JOY (Galatians 5:22).
There is a reason the bible describes joy as a fruit. First, fruits have only one source. You cannot get it anywhere else apart from that source. You cannot get a mango fruit anywhere else in the world apart from a mango tree. Any attempt to get it anywhere else is bound to fail. It is the same with joy. The spirit of God is the only source of joy. You cannot get it anywhere else.
Secondly, no factory in this world manufactures mangoes; there is no such factory. It cannot be made; it can only be found on its tree. This is the same for joy. You cannot make it. You cannot buy it. You cannot achieve it. Only the spirit of God brings joy.
How long have you been looking for Joy? Where and how have you searched for it? I encourage you to start a relationship with the Holy Spirit today. He will fill your life with Joy.
