The Reward of Endurance Is Joy

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The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – JOY #4

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

We need to understand that love is the first characteristic of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is well placed at the head of the list, for it permeates all the rest of the attributes. Somehow, if we live a life of love, the other virtues will attend us all the days of our lives. Love is the key that unlocks the entire fruit basket of Galatians 5:22-23, as well as permeating 1 Corinthians 13.

Esther said, “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law, and If I perish, I perish … “

In Esther 8:15-17 NLT says, “15 Then Mordecai left the king’s presence, wearing the royal robe of blue and white, the great crown of gold, and an outer cloak of fine linen and purple. And the people of Susa celebrated the new decree. 16 The Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere. 17 In every province and city, wherever the king’s decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.”

In Verse 15 describes the words, a great crown of gold – Rather than a crown like that of the king, this would probably have been a turban (Moore). If it was stitched in certain places, it could be taken off without undoing it and became a kind of cap. On this turban could be affixed various decorations of gold and jewels. the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad – Contrast the reaction to Haman’s edict in Esther 3:15. The self-serving Haman was apparently loathed by his own people.

In Verse 17 describes the words, the Jews had joy and gladness – Contrast Esther 4:3. It is unusual, in Hebrew scriptures, for the people to express no thanks to God for deliverance. In modern Judaism, the celebration of Purim is marked by festivity and gift giving.

The great celebration of Esther Chapter 8 follows on the heels of Esther’s courage. In Esther 4:16, Esther sends word to her cousin Mordecai, and says, “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish,”

Courage often precedes joy. Esther’s courage not only saved the Jewish people but also led to the institution of the Feast of Purim, a Jewish holiday. Esther acted in a spirit of courage because she knew that what she was about to do was right. The cost to her personally was not as great a concern to her as her obedience to principle. Esther is on the list of Old Testament heroes for one simple reason: She was not for sale. Her life was subject to negotiation, but not her beliefs. Esther was a woman who dared to stand up for truth in a world dominated by men. To lobby for truth against power structures is to face power with integrity.

Today, I can think of women who stand for the truth. Some of them is my wife – Christie G Busuego, and one and only daughter – Christine, and also our daughter-in-laws – Kristen, Sarah and Taylor . I will continue and persistently pray for all of them. They are the women I knew that describes in Proverbs 31:10-28, – “A Wife of Noble Character”.

Paul and Silas in Prison

In Acts 16:22-28 NLT says, “22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. 25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off. 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

In Verses 22-24 describe that the twisting of the truth by these accusers was effective enough to motivate a mob to assemble quickly. Wanting to keep the peace, the city officials ordered Paul and Silas to be stripped and beaten with wooden rods. Rods were wooden poles bound together and carried by these magistrates. This was not the only time that such had happened (or would happen) to Paul. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:25 that it happened three times – at least three up until the writing of that letter to Corinth.

After being severely beaten, Paul and Silas were thrown in prison, and Luke subtly introduced the next unsuspecting convert to Christianity – the jailer – who was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. Perhaps the stories of Christians mysteriously escaping from jail (Acts 12:3-17) or even of guards losing their lives (Acts 12:18-19) had made it as far as Philippi. Whatever the case, the jailer imposed his version of maximum security – taking them to the inner dungeon and there fastening their feet in the stocks.

“Stocks” were made of two boards joined with iron clamps, leaving holes just big enough for the ankles. The prisoner’s legs were placed across the lower board, and then the upper board was closed over them. Sometimes both wrists and ankles were placed in stocks. Paul and Silas, who had committed no crime and were peaceful men, were put in stocks designed for holding the most dangerous prisoners in absolute security.

In Verse 25 describes what an incredible scene this must have been! Paul and Silas were barely into their first stop on what promised to be a wildly effective Macedonian evangelistic campaign – God had verbally called them there (Acts 16:9-10). In short order, however, they found themselves the victims of false and prejudicial charges, locked up in the depths of a Roman jail, in stocks! So what did they do? Moan? Whine? Blame God? Give up? No, their jail term was marked by only two activities: praying and singing hymns to God.

The other prisoners were listening as Paul and Silas sang and prayed. The Greek word for “listening” (epekroonto) is a strong word implying that the prisoners were listening intently. It is a reminder to all Born-Again Christian believers that the world is watching when they suffer. There is intrigue, interest, and even openness to believers’ “answers” when they respond so unnaturally – so supernaturally – to difficulties. How Born-Again Christian believers respond to their troubles can play a major role in how others will respond to the Savior – our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Verses 26-28 describe and answered to the prayers of Paul and Silas came with suddenness and authority in the form of a great earthquake, shaking the foundations of the prison, bursting open doors, and breaking loose the chains of every prisoner. Guards were responsible for their prisoners and would be held accountable for their escape. The punishment was usually the same sentence that would have been the prisoner’s. Sometimes the guards were even executed (see Acts 12:19). Possibly in order to avoid a Roman execution or perhaps to avoid having to live with the shame of his career failure, the jailer drew his sword to kill himself.

Paul intervened, shouting, “We are all here!” Paul was not speaking of just himself and Silas but of all the prisoners. All the prisoners were still there, sitting in a wide open jail, without chains. The other prisoners had listened intently to all that had been prayed and sung (Acts 16:25). They knew that the earthquake surely had something to do with the praying and singing of the two prisoners.

Tears have a way of sifting and refining our praise. The best music is produced when we sing through our tears. Paul and Silas sang in a jail cell. They were incarcerated because of honoring God’s purpose in their lives. Their praise came from honest joy – joy obtained by standing true when standing was most difficult.

Joy is a frequent reward of endurance. Trials and singing fit together better than one might think. We can trace the journey from trial to joy in this way:

• We face the trial.
• God enables us with power beyond ourselves.
• We trust and win – or at least we survive.

Sing and praise and worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Amen!

Singing is the Business of Heaven

In Revelation 7:13-17 NLT says, “13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” 14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. 15  “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve Him day and night in His Temple. And He who sits on the throne
will give them shelter. 16  They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. 17  For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

In Verses 13-14 described that one of the twenty-four elders turned to John and anticipated his question regarding the identity of this great crowd in white robes, “Where do they come from?” These people have come out of the great tribulation. They have persevered, standing true for our Lord Jesus Christ. Some may have been martyred, but probably not all of them. They have been redeemed, for they have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. It is difficult to imagine how blood could make any cloth white, but the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is the world’s greatest purifier because it removes the stain of sin (Hebrews 9:14). White symbolizes sinless perfection or holiness, which can be given to people only by the death of the sinless Lamb of God on their behalf. This is a picture of how believers are saved through faith (see Isaiah 1:18; Romans 3:21-26).

In Verses 15-17 described and stated according to Acts 7:1-8, the believers receive a seal to protect them through a time of great tribulation and suffering; in Acts 7:9-17, John receives a glimpse into the future – the believers finally with God in heaven. All who have been faithful through the ages were singing before God’s throne. Their tribulations and sorrows were over: no more tears for sin, for all sins were forgiven; no more tears for suffering, for all suffering was over; no more tears for death, for all believers had been resurrected to die no more.

The phrase day and night means continuous, unceasing service to God – that “service” refers to worship and praise (Revelation 22:3-5) The Temple is not limited to some particular building in heaven, nor is it a reference to the Temple in Jerusalem; instead, all of heaven is God’s sanctuary. God will satisfy every need. That they will never again be hungry or thirsty, and fully protected from the scorching noontime heat echoes Isaiah’s prophecy (see Isaiah 49:10). God’s care extends to every part of life – He will wipe away all their tears. These are the blessings that God will provide to His people.

The martyrs of Revelation 7 knew only a dark world. Yet, in that darkness, they remained faithful. They died singing. And after death, they sang because singing is the business of heaven.

When we hurt and can find no light in our endless nights of hopelessness, we sing. Singing of our joy and commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ may be the only response hurting Born-Again Christians can make to a seemingly senseless world. Amen!

Life is the pits, abysses, cavities, and holes in the ground, ditches, trenches, wells, or hollow grounds

In Lamentations 3:55-57 NLT says, “55  But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit. 56  You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!” 57  Yes, you came when I called; you told me, “Do not fear.”

From this passage, we see how our endurance may be resolved at last in joy, and we may better understand how to serve others in their times of despair.

“I called on your name, O LORD.” This is the only wise thing to do in times of unbearable hurt.

“From the depths of the pit.” Despair is a megaphone in the hand of prayer. It amplifies all that we feel and makes it all the more audible in the courts of heaven. When we feel that we are in the pit or when we see others in that pit, our response should be prayer – earnest and heart-felt.

“You heard my plea.” What the weeping heart whispers enters heaven as a shout.            

“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” God listens for the sobbing of His children. He hears our laughter, and He smiles. He hears our petitions, and He is thoughtful. But when He hears our sobbing, He orders the Angels to be silent, so that all of heaven may listen and respond.

“You came near when I called you.” One call to our heavenly Father and the gap is bridged. The pit is no longer so deep. Heaven gives up its cosmic address; the throne of God becomes an armchair of warm relief; and God – once starry galaxies away – now lives on our block, in our hearts.

“And you said, ‘Do not fear.‘” It is time for joy! God hears our calls.

These verses are wonderful to memorize so that when others need assurance or comfort, we are ready with an encouraging promises from God. Our own joy is magnified when we share that joy with others. Amen!

There are Rewards for Endurance

In Job 19:23-29 NLT says, “23  “Oh, that my words could be recorded. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument, 24  carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock. 25  “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and He will stand upon the earth at last. 26  And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! 27  I will see Him for myself.
Yes, I will see Him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! 28  “How dare you go on persecuting me, saying, ‘It’s his own fault’? 29  You should fear punishment yourselves, for your attitude deserves punishment. Then you will know that there is indeed a judgment.”

The writing of his words in a book was one of Job’s desires that was realized (Job 19:23). Earlier he had wished for a mediator (Job 9:33), and later he expressed hope in a heavenly advocate (Job 16:19-21). Here the idea was perfected (Job 19:25). Although without hope in this life, he knew that God would vindicate him. The word “Redeemer” refers to a kinsman-redeemer (cf. Ruth 2:1), whose responsibility it was to redeem and restore a relative who had become a slave or had lost his property. Job’s hope was ultimately realized in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25). Job expressed his belief in a bodily resurrection (Job 19:26-27). After death (“after my body has decayed”) he was certain that he would see God with his eyes.

Job felt that people should not have to meet the silence of God – particularly when they are so needy – and have their despair go unnoticed. Surely, no one should have to die with his or her suffering unrecorded. “Hurt thus bad,” reasons Job. “should be noticed somewhere in the universe.”

Still, following this deep pain, hope finds enough joy to sing. After the despair, there is a kind of instantaneous spark of joy when Job realizes that his Redeemer lives.

Our worship is strengthened when we too realize the truth that Job found through his sorrows. We can find the truth from God’s Words through the Holy Spirit help and guidance, receive wisdom from God by faith, understand, and realize that through our sorrows – that someday, “Rupture”, we will see God. Amen!

There are rewards of endurance besides the joy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s receive them by faith. Amen!

Prayer is the key that unlocks and reveals faith. Effective prayer needs both an attitude of complete dependence and the action of asking. Prayer demonstrates complete reliance on God. Thus, there is no substitute for prayer, especially in situations that seem impossible.

So, let our hearts and minds in tune with God, in the power of God, the Holy Spirit. Let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. We as Born-Again Christians have been tried and cleansed, we have moved freely into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that is more powerful than it was before our trials. We are at home in the presence and fellowship of God, for we are heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, more like Him that we could ever have dreamed possible. So, let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. Amen!

The principle is that no one has anything of value to bring to God in order to deserve salvation, mercy, justification, or even a second glance from God. The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Acceptance before God cannot be achieved by good deeds, piety, or any amount of self-proclaimed righteousness.

Let’s never get over the effect of God’s saving transformation on people’s lives. People who were lost in sin, filled with anger and bitterness, give up their hatred and become approachable as we have studied and learned last time. That is, of course, why we minister to others. Those of us who minister are not people to whom love, gentleness and self-control comes naturally. We are people who have been remodeled by grace. We thankfully leave our old natures far behind as we embrace gentleness and self-control, the agape love of God, and in our treatment of others. Amen!

Sunday by Sunday as we come to worship, let me encourage our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers and listeners to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others, we constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these JOY Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

• The Joy of God’s Creativity – Podcast Joy #1 – To understand and appreciate the creation of God
• A Positive Attitude Is Joy – Podcast Joy #2 – Learn how to acquire a positive attitude
• The Presence of God is The Infallible Proof of Joy – Podcast Joy #3
• The Reward of Endurance is Joy – Podcast Joy #4 – To receive and experience the reward of endurance
• Focusing On A Higher Reality is Joy – Podcast Joy #5 – To focus on the higher reality and experience God’s presence
• The Reveling of Angels is Joy – Podcast Joy #6

Three (3) Questions we can answer from these Sources: The Bible and Guidance of the Holy Spirit

Observation: What do these passages say to you?

Interpretation: What do these passages mean to you?

Application: How do the meaning of these passages apply to you or to your situation?

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer, please take a look of one of our ministries, “An Invitation To Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

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Suggested Prayer: Father God, we come into your presence in our Lord Jesus Christ name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and forgiveness you have done on the Cross of Calvary, and continue to intercede for us in prayer. Thank you Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. Thank you for the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage and strength. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s Words, obey them, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth that sets us free, and apply them in our lives, in our Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!

God bless you all and our families!

In Malachi 3:10-12 AMPC says, “10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.