Before He returned to
Heaven by way of the cross, the resurrection and the ascension, the Lord Jesus
Christ intensified His teaching of the disciples (John 13-16), and then informed
them of the reason for His amplified discourse.
“These things have I
spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might
be full” (John 15:11).
Only recently have I
considered the joyful time the Lord Jesus and His disciples knew during their
time together. Indeed, if the
Savior desired that His joy “remain” in His closest followers, it must have been
present with them. Our Lord
rejoiced in His time with Peter, James, John and the other men who had left
their previous lives in order to live and minister with Him. “My joy” He mentions, and then declares
His great desire that the disciples’ joy “might be full.”
Our Heavenly Father
has no interest in any relationship with us that does not include
rejoicing. Neither should we. Of course, we reference not a silly and
unbiblical joy that merely involves giddy happiness. The Bible does not define joy in such
terms. No, the joy of Christ rather
provides a deep sense of well being that manifests itself in both good times and
bad, whether happy or sad emotions characterize our experience. Indeed, the believer who walks by faith
often knows joy and sorrow dwelling concurrently in his heart - “As sorrowful,
yet always rejoicing” (II Corinthians 6:10). The Lord Jesus alone provides such a
miracle of grace wherein His living presence enables a reality of rejoicing deep
within even as hot tears may be streaming down our face.
Long ago, God
chastened Israel because “thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of
heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47). The New
Testament challenges born again believers in similar fashion, calling us to
rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). This mandate could not exist if abiding
joy were not possible, or if our Lord was not strongly committed to the joy of
our hearts. Let us therefore expect
joy where it seems that it cannot be, based on the living presence of a Savior
whose joy abides with us so that our joy might be full.
“Then will I go unto the altar
of God, unto God my exceeding
joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise Thee, O God my God.”
(Psalm 43:4)
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