Jumping for JOY

“The fruit of the spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

(Galatians 5:22-23)

JUMP FOR JOY!

We have been learning about the fruit of the spirit—all the good things that the Holy Spirit can bring about in our lives when allow Him to direct our thoughts and actions. First, we looked at the fruit of love, and now we’re going to look a little more closely at the second fruit on the list—JOY.

Have you ever enjoyed laughing at a funny joke, or felt happy about a big win on the soccer field? Have you ever had the pleasure of eating a delicious cookie, or felt the comfort of a warm hug? We usually feel pretty happy during moments like these! But God teaches us in the Bible that we can feel joy even when times are tough, and things don’t seem to be going our way.

How can that be? The Bible teaches us that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). With God’s help, we can feel joy no matter what is going on around us! When we come to the end of our own resources, we can call out to God and trust that in His great love, He will care for us.  

We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13), so through the fruit of the spirit, joy, we have the strength to keep going; keep being friends with God by talking to Him in prayer; keep learning from Him by reading the Bible; and keep praising Him for His love and care. We are filled with joy when we allow ourselves to recognize that we are in the presence of God.

Song

Take a few minutes to enjoy this song by Rend Collective, “The Joy of the Lord is My Strength.” Once you know some of the words, go ahead and sing along!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3gLeCiMJqI

Movement Activity

Today’s a good day to JUMP FOR JOY! Spend some time outside with your jump rope on the next nice day. How many times can you jump the rope without stopping? Here’s a challenge: Learn the nine fruits of the spirit, and recite them, calling out one fruit every time the rope goes under your feet. Can you do it? Or try reciting Nehemiah 8:10 as you jump, saying one word every time the rope goes under your feet: The joy of the Lord is my strength.

Younger children can jump in and out of a hula hoop or a jump rope placed in a circle.

Coloring Page

Click here, and print out a coloring page for the fruit of the spirit, joy:

https://christianpreschoolprintables.com/wp-content/uploads/CPP/BibleColoring/Fruits/FruitBB2BW.pdf

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If you missed the earlier posts on fruit of the spirit, you can find them here:

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

LOVE is My Superperpower