09-04-2022 Living Joy (Philippians 4:4)

storge- affectionate love, mother and child philia- friendship love, two best friends eros- sensual love agape- love that wills the good of another Galatians 5:22-25 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. The fruit of the Spirit loses its true nature when they are separated. Joy flows out of living in perfect love. Jesus stands for love like no one else in history. We love God. Because Christ loved/loves us, we too can love with our entire being. We are to love others with the love shown to us by Christ. We can experience God's love not just through the Trinity, but through each other. "We are loved by God who is love and in turn, we love Him, and others through Him, who in turn love us through Him." –Dallas Willard 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised. Philippians 4:2-9 Joy is not dependent on outside circumstances. It relies on our hope and life in Christ. John 15:11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. John 15:9-10 Five Practices that help build joy into our lives: Connection Acceptance Reframing Gratitude Generosity Acts 20:35 In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”