John 15:9-11
Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete."
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Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete."
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Have you ever experienced complete joy? Jesus did not say that we will be “happy” if we walked with him. He promised us JOY that is complete.
JOY in the English dictionary is defined as a feeling of great happiness or pleasure, especially of an elevated or spiritual kind. God offers us something far greater. Complete JOY does not come from what is going on around us, but what is going on within us. It does not depend on our day to day experience. It is a mindset. While happiness may come and go, JOY will always be present even when everything is not going well.
Doesn’t that sound like something we all want to achieve?
I know I would. Don’t get me wrong. God has been good to me.
I have family and friends whom I love dearly and a life that has allowed me to experience God in so many ways. I am happy. I have joy. But I have yet to achieve complete Joy. Nowadays, where our economy is unstable and many have lost their jobs or are in fear of losing theirs, an epidemic threatening our health and our lives, death and disease, it is very difficult to even experience any kind of happiness.
So how do we find JOY in our lives?
Trust in God! Have faith in Christ. It is the message we see in every page of the Bible. John's Gospel also calls us to give ourselves freely to God and enjoy his unconditional love in order to experience JOY. When we focus on ourselves, we do not find joy. But when we focus on God, on serving Him by touching others, we will have complete and constant joy!
Lord Jesus, keep me abiding in you so that your joy may be in me and that my joy may be full. (John 15:11)
JOY in the English dictionary is defined as a feeling of great happiness or pleasure, especially of an elevated or spiritual kind. God offers us something far greater. Complete JOY does not come from what is going on around us, but what is going on within us. It does not depend on our day to day experience. It is a mindset. While happiness may come and go, JOY will always be present even when everything is not going well.
Doesn’t that sound like something we all want to achieve?
I know I would. Don’t get me wrong. God has been good to me.
I have family and friends whom I love dearly and a life that has allowed me to experience God in so many ways. I am happy. I have joy. But I have yet to achieve complete Joy. Nowadays, where our economy is unstable and many have lost their jobs or are in fear of losing theirs, an epidemic threatening our health and our lives, death and disease, it is very difficult to even experience any kind of happiness.
So how do we find JOY in our lives?
Trust in God! Have faith in Christ. It is the message we see in every page of the Bible. John's Gospel also calls us to give ourselves freely to God and enjoy his unconditional love in order to experience JOY. When we focus on ourselves, we do not find joy. But when we focus on God, on serving Him by touching others, we will have complete and constant joy!
Lord Jesus, keep me abiding in you so that your joy may be in me and that my joy may be full. (John 15:11)
Ida Favis
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