Biblical joy is a sense of inner delight which is dependent on who Jesus is, rather than who we are or the situation we might find ourselves in. Joy is a choice and it strengthens us, giving us victory and hope and as such we can experience it even in the midst of trials.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to conform to the image of Jesus and bear much fruit. John 15 is the analogy of the vineyard where we find the 3 key ingredients to bear fruit: Abide in Jesus, abide in His Word, and abide in His love.

Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's character, and, as followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit produces God's character in us. We can allow God's peace, which is neither temporary nor dependent on external circumstances, to be expressed 3 ways in our lives: through wholeness, security and completeness.

 The Fruit of the Holy Spirit is love displayed in our lives in different expressions, and is the visible expression of the invisible work that God does in our lives as we willingly yield to Him. 

Our personal testimonies are eternal, powerful, and bring glory to Jesus, and during Celebration Sunday we heard wonderful testimonies of what God has been doing in 3 people's lives over the last year.

Understanding as King David did, the relationship between the Shepherd and His sheep, we learn 3 important lessons from Psalm 23 about trusting God in all the seasons of our lives: trust is personal, trust is a process and trust is possible.

Looking at a number of examples throughout the Bible, we learn about the importance of reframing our hearts and our days by making daily declarations over our lives in line with God's Word

Drawing a comparison between Zerubbabel rebuilding the temple (Zech 4:6) and our lives, we are encouraged to not lose heart when we experience delays. We are to remember that God has not forgotten us and is always working behind the scenes of our lives. God has equipped us with the right tools and will empower us to take the next steps to get the job done. 

Having received God's great salvation, we enter into the start of a life-transforming journey with God as He begins the work of restoring our lives, building them up one brick at a time into the image and likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Through Adoption we are children of God, united with the family of God by the Spirit of God with the purpose of being conformed to the Son of God, as mature sons by abiding in Him and walking in His ways.