A coworker told me the other day that I should smile more, and that work is better when you try to enjoy it, which I have obviously not been doing lately. The best part of most every day is when I get home to a warm and joyful reception from my wife, who is full of joy more often than not. Whether that is a spiritual gift, I don’t know, but it shows that she is acting out of Spirit over flesh. The opposite also occurs, however, and I oftentimes allow it to further erode my own joy. For this I owe her and my kids an apology. For the statement at the start I owe my coworkers. For both and more, God.
The Word tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is …joy….
The tree produces joy.
While I agree with my coworker, I know also that simply putting on a smile misses the point. When I fail to find enjoyment in the day to day, I suppress the Spirit in favor of my flesh. If, however, I am living as a branch of the tree that is Spirit, joy will blossom and grow into fruit for the benefit of others, who can see and taste that the Lord is good, and themselves become part of the tree (if they so desire).
And the process repeats.
And if each branch results in 2 more branches, this metaphorical tree will grow exponentially, or as says the Word: “produce a crop thirty, sixty, or hundredfold”.
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