The Experience of Bananas

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Galatians 5:22 speaks about the fruits of the Spirit. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. We tend to think of joy as a feeling, emotion, or an experience. But joy isn't spoken of in Galatians as being an emotion, experience or feeling. Instead, it's a fruit. And that's crucial. If there's a banana in a fruit bowl, it's not an experience, feeling, or an emotion of a banana. It's simply a banana in the fruit bowl. It's a real thing, a presence. In the same way, the fruit of the spirit, isn't an experience, it's a presence, a reality. Forget about experiencing emotional highs, about trying to have an emotional experience of joy. Instead, comprehend the reality of joy in the presence of God, His joy, which is always there even in tough times and when you're not feeling so good. It's like the fruit in the bowl that will still be there tomorrow. You can rejoice always, because the joy that God gives you is at least as real as a banana!

From Message #1053 - The First Practice