Scripture: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” – John 15:11
Examination: Jesus is speaking to His disciples at His last Passover just prior to His crucifixion. He is giving His last words to them, urging them to remember who He is, and that if they continue to follow His teachings and example, they will be blessed by God. He reminds them of who they are in Him, and that when He is gone, He will send His Spirit to continue to give them strength, wisdom, peace and joy.
Application: In the dictionary, joy is defined as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune” and “a source or cause of delight”. The biblical definition of joy is “a deep-seated, spiritual contentment and abiding happiness.” True joy is rooted in a relationship with God; it is not circumstantial.
The joy of being loved by the Lord is manifested in two ways. We have an eternal joy that emanates from our salvation. Being forgiven of our sins and adopted into the family of God creates an everlasting joy. We know to whom we belong and where our eternal life will be, but there is so much more to the joy of being loved by God. We have a “here and now” joy as well. Jesus didn’t come just to provide an eternal home for us with Him. He came to give us a life of abundant joy. In John 10:10, Jesus told his followers, : “… I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
What does a joyful life in Christ look like?
- Joy in the realities of life
- The joy of the Lord doesn’t disappear when we face tough times and the outcomes are unknown to us. His joy offers encouragement, hope, and peace in good times as well as hard times. Psalm 30:5 promises, “… weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
- Even in the most difficult times, we are kept in the hand of God, and He will see us through every struggle we face. How? By trusting in Him and remembering that God loves us and is faithful to His promises. Knowing those truths brings us His peace… the peace that passes all human understanding. Isaiah 36:3 states, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
- Joy in reaching out to others
- There is so much joy in sharing with others our God-given gifts like teaching, hospitality, singing, etc. Galatians 5:13 states, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
- When Christians gather together, there is a joy that is almost indescribable. We share a common salvation through Jesus that will last forever, and we are all brothers and sisters in the family of God! Psalm 133:1 explains, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
- Joy in the relationship with Jesus
- There is a deep contentment in being close to God. Knowing that He wants me to speak to Him through my prayers and teach me through His Word fills my heart with so much joy! After all, He is the God of all creation! The joy in knowing that He loves me so much fills my soul to overflowing! When I think that the Lord Jesus Christ knows my name and calls me His own, my soul rejoices! Psalm 16:11 affirms this, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
Today is a day to celebrate love, and there is no greater love than that which Jesus demonstrated long ago on an old rugged cross. His love is beyond measure; nothing can ever compare with it, and nothing will ever separate us from it. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Memory Verse: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13
I have found His grace is all complete, He supplieth ev'ry need;
While I sit and learn at Jesus' feet, I am free, yes, free indeed.
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, full of glory, full of glory;
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, oh, the half has never yet been told.
I have found the joy no tongue can tell, how its waves of glory roll!
It is like a great o'er flowing well, springing up within my soul.
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, full of glory, full of glory;
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, oh, the half has never yet been told.
(from “Joy Unspeakable” by Barney Elliott Warren)