At this point in writing the study, I was feeling like, “Yes, but still, isn’t there more I can do?” The next few “nuggets” are the fruit of that question.
Romans 5:1-5 gives us some clues:
Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory. 5:3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 5:4 and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5:5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
I gather several important things from these verses… Follow my “tree” analogy, starting from the bottom up:
1. The Holy Spirit pours out the love & grace of God into the roots of our tree. Our tree stands in it; soaks in it.
2. Grounded in the deep love of God, we have hope coming up our roots.
3. Hope shoots up through our roots and bears the fruit of joy. Joy is the fruit on our tree. It is the fruit of a life soaked in the love and grace of God.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The Spirit enables this process… and I soak myself in all His truth; all the reasons for hope He has given…thus I am filled with hope, and bear the fruit of joy.
So how do I cultivate joy?
I soak myself in the love and the grace of God. All that He is; All He has done. I meditate on it. I bathe in it. I let my roots absorb it. It bears the fruit of joy.
Want to see some examples of how this is done? …Tomorrow :)
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