GospelNotes.life

Category: Peace and Joy

  • The fruits of the flesh vs the fruits of the spirit

    • Then the time, effort and money to acquire the item.
    • And at the end of all of it, there is no peace and joy in fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and we’re left empty, because we as spirit simply just don’t care about food/drink/sex/possessions. Our joy comes from loving and righteous fellowship and companionship. Our peace comes from our salvation, godly wisdom to navigate life, contentment, a still and quiet mind, knowing how to work in any situation with joy and peace, and our ability to forgive and mend relationships instantly and infinitely – not via food/drink/sex/possessions.
    • You can’t have it both ways: you’ll either love the ways of God and hate the ways of the world, or you’ll desire the ways of the world and dislike the ways of God.

  • How to have peace and joy all the time

    Here’s the wisdom for how to have peace and joy all the time, in every moment:

    Everything in this day and age is always about working towards some future goal that will “eventually” bring you “peace and joy”. But truly, life is literally about peace and joy now, and you should be experiencing that peace and joy every moment of every day, regardless of goals, and you can, and it’s free (don’t think about tomorrow’s peace and joy, experience right now’s peace and joy. Then when tomorrow comes, enjoy that day’s peace and joy. Live in the now – not in “tomorrow”: Matthew 6:34 — “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Therefore do not be consumed by tomorrow’s peace and joy, for tomorrow will have its own peace and joy. Sufficient for the [current] day is its own peace and joy):

    In life, you’re either:

    1. Working
    2. Resting alone
    3. Fellowshipping with others

    There’s a method of working that actually gives birth to peace and joy: it’s slow, steady and methodical; deeply focused on the task at hand; one step at a time, one day at a time in small, manageable portions; gentle, patient and self-controlled, quiet. There’s never a good occasion to rush. Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, here a little, there a little.

    While resting alone (doing nothing alone), you can find peace in just hanging out with the Lord, listening to the stillness and quietness, meditating on the ways of God.

    Joy naturally comes from righteous and loving fellowship with all others – family, friends and strangers. And it’s free and can be done any time.

    Take notice of how none of the above includes the desires for food/drink (the lust of the flesh) or possessions (the lust of the eyes).