“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, joy…”
The Holy Spirit is the gift of the Father to His Children. He was given at the request of His Son who sent Him to aid us in our lives and mission on earth until Jesus returns. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be in us forever which means that we will never be away from the presence of Christ (Jn. 14:6) The Holy Spirit does many things for us daily. He comforts, leads, guides, empowers us for ministry, and discloses the Father’s will.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing the Holy Spirit does, however, is to bear spiritual fruit so that we are transformed into the nature of Christ. (Gal. 5:22-23) Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that the Spirit is the person who transforms us “from glory to glory.” We are saved in a moment and transformed over a lifetime into the very image of the God we love. The Holy Spirit bears fruit within us to make this happen.
The Holy Spirit works in our lives to produce the things that mirror the nature of the Christ. As we yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work within us we gain more of Christ’s nature which allows us to live as He lived on earth and do what He did. Righteousness is the end result of the Spirit’s work and it has many dimensions. One of the greatest is joy. The joy of the Spirit is the joy of Jesus. It is so great that at times it is unspeakable. It is so powerful that we can rejoice in the many trials that come to us. It so sustaining that it returns time and again whenever our tears flow in grievous circumstances. It allows us to rejoice in the confidence we have that through Christ we can do anything. It is our strength.
Light the candle of Joy tonight and thank the Holy Spirit for the gift of joy He has given you.
