Joy!

I've got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart to stay! 

This is the second week of the fruits of the spirit and this week I'll be focusing on joy! 

James 1:2-3

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

When you are going through things, you'll find joy if you praise God through the hard times. 

1 Peter 4:12-13 says "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."

Joy is an amazing thing to have:) We are happy and happiness can be contagious. God loves when we all have joy but he loves it more when we have joy towards him!!! 

As Christians we should have joy and joy towards God. When we have joy towards God he will continue to give us joy! 

Love

This week I am starting off with Love, the first fruit of the spirit. Love is an amazing thing especially when you love God. 1 John 4:7-12 says this "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 

There are so many verses in the bible about love and his word is love because God is love! He loves us so much that he died on the cross for us and for our sins. He sent his son to this earth. 

Love is one of the hardest commandments, even if people have hurt us and it's hard to forgive them but we still have to love them. It's so hard. I've been hurt  and trying to love them is very hard to do but with God's love we can love them. 

Loving people can be so hard yet it is the most amazing thing! 

1 John 3:16 says "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13says "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love NEVER fails! And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

LOVE NEVER FAILS! Isn't that amazing?!? God's love for YOU will never fail! He will always love you no matter what!! I thought I should end off this week with the love chapter:) 

 

Next week I will be speaking on Joy! I hope that you can apply this lesson to your life. You are loved! God loves you so much. He died on the cross for you. 

Love one another! Speaking of love....I will show you a few pictures of my boyfriend and I:)