Sowing Seeds of Praise

 Have you ever bitten into a ripe strawberry or a juicy slice of watermelon - and the juice starts running down your chin and your arm? It's so sweet and refreshing! So delicious!

I think that's what God wants for us when we experience the fruit of the spirit, JOY. In 1 John 1:4, we are told, "And these things write we unto you," - Why? - "that your joy may be full." And in 1 Peter 1:8, the Bible goes beyond full:" ...though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:" That sounds like JOY has overflowed its regular boundaries to me. The glass can't hold another drop, and it starts pouring over the sides.

As believers in Christ, we should be filled with this JOY, simply because of who we are in Christ. We have Him. That should be enough for us. JOY, unlike happiness, should not be dependent on circumstances. There have been times in my life when I was not happy. Perhaps my day did not go the way I thought it should; frustrations came. Irritations grated. But for some seemingly unexplainable reason, I found myself singing. There was still a song in my heart - my JOY had not left. It's hard to imagine feeling sad and joyful at the same time, but if God's peace can pass "all understanding", I think perhaps His JOY can too. 

Now I'm human; I don't always feel joyful. In fact, there are many times when I don't. Though JOY may not be dependent on circumstances, it appears that it is dependent on our relationship with Christ. JOY is listed as one of the "fruits of the spirit". God designed fruits to be produced, developed with time. He doesn't usually just give them to us. One way to begin growing fruits in our lives is to start with a seed. "...Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7) When we focus on our problems and trials, begin allowing our prayer time and Bible reading to pass by forgotten, our JOY will begin to wither and die. But when we focus on God and begin thanking Him for His bountiful blessings, we are sowing "seeds" of praise, which will ultimately yield a crop of JOY. It may not happen right away; life-long habits of discontent or ungratefulness won't change overnight. Like with any good fruit, it may take time to produce. Often, on a package of seeds, dates are listed for germination and harvest. If we are faithful, day after day, to begin changing our focus and the way we think, we will begin to see results. Sow His Word in your mind, and meditate on scripture verses. The more we sow "seeds" of praise, the more we will see that we have to be joyful about. "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." 2 Corinthians 9:6 If you want a rich harvest of JOY, give God bountiful praise.

NOTE:
I wrote this post, then looked back and discovered that I had written a similar one before about thanksgiving. It seems that God is continuing to bring to mind the importance of having a positive outlook on life. I'm often overwhelmed by how much He blesses me and helps me.

(Pictures taken by Mary Beam)