Message from Scripture: 10/22/2020

 

Our message from Scripture today is John 15:11; “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

 

When the Lord spoke of a fullness of joy, he referred to a joy that grows out of something other than the joy of ownership, the joy of popularity, or the joy of security. What are some things that brought Jesus this joy, that can help us find joy, even in the most difficult situations?

 

There is the joy of knowing God. Our Lord’s favorite title for the eternal God is wrapped up in his loving name “Father.” In every instance, with only one exception, when our Lord was engaging in prayer, he addressed the eternal God as Father. He taught his disciples to approach the throne of grace in prayer with thoughts of the parent-child relationship uppermost in their minds (Luke 11:2). To Christ, God was his loving Father, and He was eager that his disciples experience and appreciate this joy of knowing God.

 

There is also the joy of being in harmony with God’s will. There was no discord between Jesus’ will and the will of the Father. In his mind, there was no rebellion or revolt against the work God had for him to do. He was in perfect harmony with the Creator, saying He and the Father are one (John 10:30). The psalmist came to know what we long to experience. He wrote, “For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name” (Psa. 33:21).

 

Our Lord lived a life of joy, eager that we know the great joys available to us through faith and faithfulness. He prayed for all His disciples, “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves” (John 17:13). In a world filled with so many things aimed at robbing us of our joy, it is great to know we can have joy in Christ in all situations we face. May we find that joy today, no matter what we encounter today, as our God is always with us. God bless.

 

Robert