But the fruit of the Spirit is…JOY… (Galatians 5:22; KJV)

One of the reasons that I began to study the fruit* (result, harvest, outcome, advantage, benefit, consequence, effect, reward, product) of the Holy Spirit was that one day I became sick and tired of hearing myself whining and sighing (deep exhaling of breath in response to frustration) about life. I wanted a holy (different) kind of joy. We all can come to a place in our lives where no news is good news, and that’s not good! It certainly doesn’t describe the kind of joy that comes from the Lord, which provides us with enough strength (Nehemiah 8:10; NLT) to live the kind of life we all desire to live.

In my search for a definition of joy that I could “wrap my brain around” and pursue as a God-given objective, I fell in love with Eugene Peterson’s definition of the word in The Message Bible, which calls joy an “exuberance about life”.

Exuberance means “. . . having an almost uninhibited enthusiasm (origin: en = inside + Theos = God)”. Thus, “uninhibited enthusiasm” means “having God uninhibited in our lives.” This is the kind of life that I want for the remainder of 2009. In fact, the etymology of the word exuberance is “characterized (marked) by beyond having plenty and beyond being fully content.”

Exuberance has several other definitions such as: energetic, animated, bouncy, buoyant (can’t be held down), cheerful, chipper, eager, elated, excited, exhilarated (bringing in a breath of fresh air), high-spirited, lively, passionate, sparkling, vigorous, vivacious (full of life), zestful, NOT depressed, NOT discouraged, NOT lifeless, NOT unexcited.

The joy that comes from the Holy Spirit leaves a mark on us that goes beyond being full of fruit, beyond being productive, beyond having plenty, and beyond feeling a rich contentment. This is what I want for my life! This is what I want for my wife and my daughters! This is what I want for my friends and my congregation. I want an energy, a buoyancy, a passion, a vivaciousness, and an excitement about my life in Christ. I don’t want to live discouraged!

*Beginning next week (April 15th), we will resume Bible Study. I invite you to join us on a journey to discover the other 8 rewards (fruit) that come from the Holy Spirit.