Grow in the fruit of joy
“Be joyful always” 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
First, there’s a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is more dependant on circumstances while joy is a fruit of the spirit that we grow in.
While those whose citizenship is here are wrapped up in the never-ceasing ‘pursuit of happiness’ that leads them down the road to Self, sensuality, and stuff, those whose citizenship is in heaven know the love God has for us in not even sparing his own Son to save us and promising to answer our prayers.
We can be unhappy, then, while still filled with joy.
That was our situation last year as both Lori and Timothy fought cancer. Life may have been filled with the day by day trials, but God was good–always! And so joy abounded. That’s why we can have joy even in the midst of great trials–always!
If some of us have joy hanging from our limbs as shriveled fruit, it is because we have perhaps forgotten what God has done, fixed our eyes on the seen, love Self more than others, or have drifted away from truth. To grow in the fruit of joy, we must recapture the newness, re-fix our eyes on Jesus, renew our love for others, and recommit to truth.
Are you growing in the fruit of joy?
Doug Kashorek
Plattsburgh church of Christ
http://www.plattsburghchurch.com
author of Kin of Cain
a Christian historical fantasy
John Henson is discussing. 
Dear Bro.Randel,
This is the fact today and I agree.
I would like to share some of my views regarding the first paragraph of your article.
The young man who cancelled his study may be right in his reason, and some some times it happens.
I was thinking of something for long time with a title ” From the other End”. This is nothing thinking from the others point of view. People normally dont have this sence of thinking from others side. If a person who said that he would help us in a partucular issue and could not able to do it, then we obviously come to an opinion that he was decieved us. But how would it be if we first think of his circumstances which he could not able to do it. This is very commonly applicable to all the aspects. But still people generally comes to the negative thought first and will never come back to know fact of the person who cant able to do it. May be the person is righteous and was just feeling shy to show me his face because he could not able to do it for the proper reason. It is surely wrong to think that he is not intereted. May be the third or fouth time he may get the oppurtunity to attend the Study.
May be the young man is in same circumstnaces or may not. Still we, as Evangelist should not conclude in a negetive way, how ever we pray for him.
So its a right virtue to every one, especially for the desciple of Christ to give a thought of thinking “From The Other End”
Anil