Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.
- The Rocky Terrain of
What is happiness?
A. Who is satisfied by happiness? Why?
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (NIV) I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure…. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done… everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
B. No one deserves
Romans 3:10-12 As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nehemiah 8:10 The joy of the LORD is your strength.
1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy.
Psalm 16:11 You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; at Your right hand are eternal pleasures.
John 16:22 Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.
2. The Mountain of Performance
The purse of
How does this end?
Galatians 6:4 Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone.
The backpack of
Who should be setting your standards?
The fanny pack of
Matthew 6:27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?
The backpack of
- The Garden of Joy
How do we get joy?
Psalm 51:12 *Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit. *
Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?
Romans 15:7 (NIV) Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your faithful love so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.
Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Afterthoughts
Which pack is your area of greatest struggle? What emotions does it bring into your life?
Which truth speaks the loudest to your struggle?
What step can you take – mentally or physically – to lay down your pack and walk in the Garden of Joy this week?
Scriptures for additional study
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Ephesians 1:3-14
Jude 1:24-25
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Scriptures are pulled from Bible.com. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.