Adult Sabbath School Bibe Study Guide -Quarter 1 – 2010 – The Fruit of the Spirit

Intro – A women driving her vehicle was pulled over by a few squad cars. When the police came out of their cars they had their guns drawn. The woman was shocked. What had she done? “You were weaving in and out of traffic,” one officer said, “making obscene gestures to other drivers and cursing them.” “For that,” she replied, “you pull out your guns?” “Well,” the officer replied, “we saw the bumper sticker, which said you were a Christian, and we just assumed the car had been stolen.” This silly story brings out an important point: Christians, by our very profession (Hebrews 10:23), are held to a higher moral standard. After all, look at the One whom we profess as our model, Jesus Christ. “The fruit of the Spirit is…” Paul is talking singular, not separate traits that operate independently. The fruit of the Spirit is what grows in us when we are born of the Spirit; it is what happens when we have been born again. There should be a marked change in us when we are born again if not, we need to examine why not.

****Sabbath – Lesson 1 – “By Their Fruit”****

Matthew 7:20 – “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

As mentioned previously there should be a change in us that can be seen. Qtrly: One of the most thrilling promises of the Lord is that if we will abide in Him and allow Him to abide in us through His wonderful Spirit, we actually will be different. Our lives will be changed, even radically.

Philippians 1:6 – “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

John 15:16 – “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

After all He is that “true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world’” (John 1:9). It is what we choose to do with that light that makes a difference. Do we abide in Jesus, our Light, or not? There are only two choices.

Sunday – “Every Tree Is Known By Its Own Fruit”

2 Timothy 3:5 – Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Meaning having a Christian label but not allowing the Lord to change you. In the end many will say, to Jesus, Lord, have we not shown who you are by the things we have done (works), and He will say I never knew you. (Matthew 7:27) because their heart was far from Him. In the next verses, can you see how some might say they are Christian but exhibit these characteristics?

2 Timothy 3:2-4 – “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

The problem is that these types do not just self-destruct they like to take others with them.

Vss. 6-9 – “For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts,Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. (see also, Luke 8:17)

Luke12:2-3 – “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.Therefore, whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Matthew 10:26 – “Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

Mark 4:22 – “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

Secrets will not stay hidden, eventually “your sin will find you out “(Numbers 32:23). For these, if there is not a heart change then it will be to their destruction.

2 Thessalonians 2:10 – “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Qtrly – Jesus said we can know a tree by the fruit it produces. A person reveals himself or herself not so much by what he or she professes but by what he or she is…the fruit of the Spirit is given to the child of God so that his or her life might be changed…we can look good, sound good, and even appear good. But unless the Holy Spirit gives us a new heart by our surrender, we can never be good.

Monday – “Without Me, You Can Do Nothing” (John 15:5)

Two young boys were using a fruit tree to climb out of their second-story bedroom window and going to the swimming hole without their parents’ permission. One day they heard their father say he was going to cut down the tree because it was dead. Fearing they would lose their escape route, they went to the store and bought artificial apples, which they tied to the branches of the dead tree. The next morning their father expressed amazement that apples seemed to have grown overnight, especially since it was a pear tree.

John 15:1-5 – “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Qtrly – Verse 4 explains that a branch cannot bear fruit unless it is connected to the vine. This is a crucial point; one we should not overlook. Picture a branch that has fallen off an apple tree. Suppose that branch had several apples on it just reaching maturity. What soon happens to the branch? to the apples? Would painting the apples a deep red make a difference? Suppose we stuck the branch in the ground a watered and fortified it, would that make a difference? Why then is being connected to the vine essential to the branch?

Tuesday – “By This My Father Is Glorified”

John 15:8 – “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Qtrly – You have no doubt heard the saying. “It is possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason.” If this is true, is it possible to attempt to abide in Jesus for the wrong reason? Abiding in Jesus is not a means to and end; rather, it is an end in itself. The result of abiding in Him will be that we bear fruit, not to glorify ourselves but to glorify God. In other words, the fruit of the Spirit is not to make us look good but to make the Father look good.

John 12:28 – “Father, glorify Thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again”

John 7:17-18 – “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh His glory that sent Him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”

Qtrly – Perhaps your church is looking for ways to do things in the community that will enhance the image of the church. But is that the way to think? Shouldn’t it be about glorifying God, after all it is His church, right?

1 Corinthians10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Wednesday – “That It May Bear More Fruit”

John 15:2 – “Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

Qtrly – At the end of every season, the farmer goes back into the vineyard and prunes away most of the vine. The farmer must be careful, however, because next year’s crop is directly dependent on which parts remain. The key to pruning is the balance between the crop and the vine. One is grown at the expense of the other. If you over crop by not cutting enough away, the following year’s growth will be weak and the fruit inferior. The skillful art is to find the right balance. “God brings men into trying places to see if they will trust in a power outside of and above themselves. He sees not as a man sees. He often must break up human connections and change the order which man has mapped out, which is perfect in the man’s estimation. But what man thinks is for his spiritual and temporal interests may be altogether at variance with the experience he must have in order to be a true follower of Christ” (EGW).

Thursday – “And If It Bears Fruit, Well. But If Not…”

Luke 13:4-9 – “Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth (clutter up) it the ground?And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

2 Peter 3:9 –“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Isaiah 5:1-6 – “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

John 15:1-10 – “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

Notice how, on one hand, He said if we abide in Him we would bear much fruit and if we abide in Him, by faith, we are assured of His work in us and of His salvation because His righteousness is credited to us. On the other hand, not abiding in Him leads to no fruit which leads to a withering branch that will in the end be cast in the fire. One other thing that is mentioned in the verse above is love. When we abide in Jesus, He gives us His love that we can take as our own and bear fruit. He wants us to continue in His love and keeping His commandments stem from that love. Stay connected!

****Sabbath – Lesson 2 – The Fruit of the Spirit is Love****

1 Corinthians 13:13 – And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love).

Qtrly – It is no accident that Paul’s list of character traits that most identify the fruit of the Spirit begins with love.  Love is the paramount virtue for Christians because it is the trait that most characterizes God.

1 John 4:16 – And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:8 – He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Qtrly – Unfortunately, the word love is used very loosely today. We often say I love the weather; we love our favorite food, we love our dog. But these kinds of love do not pass the test of true Godlike love (see 1 Corinthians 13) It’s something that impacts our existence, our way of life, our way of relating to others. The ingredients of love are a package, not a list from which we select those most appealing to us and disregard the rest. That is not what true love is all about.

Sunday – Love is Multidimensional

Matthew 22:37-39 – ^“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Qtrly – In Deuteronomy 6:5, the Hebrew word for love is ahab which has a similar range of meanings as love in English, everything from God’s infinite affection for His people to the desires of sinful being. The context determines which aspect of love is spoken of each time…But Jesus’ reference to Deuteronomy 6:5 in the Matthew’s verse speaks of in connection with the greatest commandment is the noblest and highest form of self-sacrificing love, agape in the Greek, which each person is commanded to have toward God and others.

Matthew 7:12 – “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Qtrly – To love our neighbor as ourselves means to take care of someone else the same way you would take care of yourself.

Monday – What Love Does

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 – Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Qtrly – Love defined is the first step; love applied is the next. We must be careful not to glibly say we love; but rather, we need to analyze carefullyhow we live and how well we apply the principles of love as expressed in the Bible…People can argue against yor theology, your lifestyle, your beliefs, your faith—everything. But what argument can they use against unconditional love, the kind of love revealed to the world through Jesus, the kind of love tht we can, through His grace, manifest to others?

Matthew 5:43-48 – “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Tuesday – What Love Doesn’t Do

Qtrly –…go beck over 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, only look at is from  a different perspective. Look at what love does not do. Though these are stated in the negative, they are actually other positive characteristics of love.

LOVE:

Does not envy = is not jealous of others

Does not parade itself = shows meekness

Is not puffed up = is not prideful

Is not rude = shows kindness

Does not seek its own = is not prejudice

Is not easily provoked = is longsuffering

Thinks no evil = will guard one’s thoughts

Does not rejoice in iniquity = loves the good

Pride is a sneaky one. Qtr 2-2026 -Pride is a feeling that you (or your feelings) are more important than other people(s). Pride first began with Lucifer, the covering cherub, who was in close service to God. It is unknown when or how the thought of selfishness crept into his heart, but we do know those thoughts propelled the universe into what we know as the great controversy… We should be careful to remember that our possession, our abilities, and our accomplishments don’t determine our value. Instead, our value should always come from God, because everything we have, even that which tempts us to prides, comes only from Him anyway. Our pride offends God mor than anything, and it a character trait that is difficult to overcome because we often don’t see it for what it is.

For instance: As I was growing in a closer relationship with the Lord, I once wrote a story for an assignment the first part of the intro went like this: As a Christian, one of the hardest to grasp  was how could those that were evil and wicked all the way up to the eleventh hour be forgiven, when he comes to the Lord I true repentance? Was this prideful thinking? I would say, yes. (two stories, Luke:28-32 and Matthew 20:1-16). The second part of the intro went like this: I have since come to understand two things because God gives us knowledge and understanding when we come to Him. First, they may have never known God and He did an amazing work in their heart or second, they had chosen to walk away earlier in their life, but God called them back and they opened their heart to Him. Praise the Lord!

Wednesday – The Test of Love

Matthew 5:43-48 – “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Jesus is saying that it is easy to love those who love us back, but we must go further—we must love those who we feel are our enemies. The ones that you feel have slighted you in some way, treated you wrong, or are simply mean. Love the person not the sin. But let me ask, can our feelings become so prideful that we don’t see the log in our own eye and we lose the ability to forgive?

Qtrly – If we are to love our enemies, we had better discover who exactly are our enemies…by definition, and enemy is an opponent, a rival, a competitor, a challenger, a contender. An enemy is one that hates you or mistreats you…We need to realize that the enemy Jesu referred to is not limited to someone who would threaten our lives, but it is anyone who causes us enough consternation to tempt us to retaliate.

Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Proverbs 25:21 – “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:

1 Peter 3:9 – “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

****Sabbath – Lesson 3 – “The Fruit of the Spirit is Joy”****

John 15:11 – “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

What is the difference between happiness and joy?

(Happiness = the state of being happy and Joy=a feeling of pleasure and happiness and state = the particular condition that someone or something is in at a specific time.)

Qtrly – Joy and happiness are not necessarily the same thing. Happiness is the result of favorable circumstances, joy, in contrast, is the result of being—as in being connected to Jesus, the true vine…Inward joy defeats discouragement; happiness covers it up. Inward joy is lasting; happiness is temporary…At the core of Christian joy is the fact that God has acted and is acting to save those who trust in Him.

Sunday – The Command to Rejoice

Qtrly – Many believers allow themselves to be victimized by their circumstances and consequently vacillate between spiritual highs and lows. For them, to rejoice seems unreasonable, even impossible. That is why the command is to rejoice “in the Lord” (Philippians 4:4). We can’t always rejoice in our circumstances or in other people, because both of these elements may be negative. However, we can rejoice in the Lord, because He is always good, and He never changes. Our spiritual stability is directly related to our knowing of and commitment to God. Knowing Him helps us live above our circumstances and provides stability…Knowing Him makes everything else seem less significant.

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.

1 Peter 1:8-9 – ^“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Psalms 139 – “O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Qtrly – Do you need other reasons to rejoice? How about because God saved us, adopted us, and promised to give us an inheritance in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:1-11)? When Christ returns, we will enjoy His presence and the heavenly place He prepared for us (John 14:2-30). Until that time, it’s a joy to know that God has promised to supply all our need (Philippians 4:19).

Monday – The Joy of Christ

Of=expressing a relationship between a part and a whole.

Qtrly – Where did Jesus’ joy come from? Where should, then, ours come from? To fully understand a Christian’s joy, we must look at the joy-filled lifestyle of Jesus.

Luke 15:4-7 – “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Luke 15:8-10 – “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Luke 15:11-24 – “And he said, A certain man had two sons:And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Qtrly- These three parables give us insight into the heart of God. It is a heart that is willing to celebrate. It is the pure joy of God, the Joy of reaching the lost. No wonder that, despite His trails and suffering, Jesus was anointed with joy: for he knew that because of what He would accomplish—many people would be saved.

Hebrews 12:2-3 –“ Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Isaiah 53:11-12 – “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Tuesday – Joy in Obedience

John 15:10-11 – “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. (Psm1:2)

Qtrly – Psalm 40:8 states, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” And Jeremiah 31:33 states “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” We know we have God in our hearts because the law is there and He gives us the strength to keep them. There is no greater joy than the joy of being obedient to the will of God…because being obedient through faith restores the joy that was lost through disobedience.

Linking obedience with joy…

Psalm 19:8 – “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Jeremiah 15:16 – “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

Matthew 7:21-27 – Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Qtrly – However clear the Bible is that we are not saved by works, its also clear that works are an inseparable aspect of what it means to have salvation, the reality of our commitment to God.

James 2:17-19 – “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works if dead?

Qtrly – To call someone a legalist merely because that person is adamant about obeying God’s will is in a real sense, to fall into the trap that Isaiah warned about: Woe unto them that call evil for good , and good for evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that out bitterness for sweet, and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20)

Would this be interpreted as blaspheming against the Holy Spirit?

Matthew 12:31-32 – “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Wednesday – Joy in Tough Times

John 16:33 – “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Qtrly – Jesus said clearly that this life would have troubles, both the believer and the non-believer. However much we love the story of Daniel in the lion’s den, the fact is that most of the Christions thrown to the lions were torn apart by the beasts…Christians that were tied to the stake burned. There will be a time of trouble coming and some will die.

Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not.

James 1:2-4 – My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

1 Peter 1:6 – “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

Qtrly – Consider the possibility that many believers do not have joy simply because they are sel-centered. However real our problems, by focusing solely on them, we only make them worse in our own minds. In reality, we do have reasons to rejoice, not in ourselves but in God. He knows what we need and He will never leave us.

Matthew 6:33-34 – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Thursday – Joy That Lasts

Hebrews 11:24-25 – “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Luke 9:23 – “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Acts 14:22 – “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Philippians 1:29 – “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Hebrews 11:16 – “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city (John 14:1-4).

1 Peter 1:6-8 – “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Qtrly – In the end, our hope, our salvation, everything has to depend upon something greater than this world, and what it has to offer. How crucial, then, that no matter what we are going through, we focus on what Jesus has done for us and what He has promised us. Otherwise, we have nothing else but what this world in and of itself offers, and we know, what it offers can be very bitter.

Hebrews 12:1-2 – Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses (see Hebrews 11, those of the faith), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.