Your Joy Be Complete

I HAVE TOLD YOU THIS SO THAT MY JOY MAY BE IN YOU AND THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE COMPLETE. John 15.11.

Everyone wants to enjoy life. The kind of joy that people often look for is ‘earthly joy’. This is the kind of joy that Christmas and New Year celebrations bring! For daily merry making now they have come up with 'Happy Hours’ for working people in many places! But such happiness depends on one’s situation and circumstance. Good health, great wealth and much prosperity contribute to this kind of joy. But at best this joy is temporary and transient!

The Lord Jesus Christ was talking about a different kind of joy! Jesus was telling the disciples about a new relationship with Him and the Father which is fostered through abiding in or reading His Word continually. True and abiding joy comes only from a firm and living relationship with Jesus Christ on a daily basis through His Word. No one or nothing can take that joy from you!

Jesus said that He is the true Vine! We are the branches. It is a vital connection with Him and not merely following after Him. We can have this spiritual relationship. But we must maintain this relationship and connection daily – moment by moment. It is not an occasional thought of Him or prayer to Him, nor a weekly meeting with Him in the church on a Sunday morning! The condition for this new and vital touch and constant relationship with Christ is that we must abide in Him, the true Vine.

The only way that Jesus suggests here for you and I to abide in Him is by letting His Word abide in us. How do we let His Word abide in us? By regularly and even constantly reading God’s Word! You will become increasingly fruitful. The Father will be glorified in you. Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”. When you, ‘abide in His Word’ and obey His commandments, there is great joy in the Lord’s heart. He loves us more for it! It will cause our joy to be complete.

Dear believer, the Lord has commanded, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it” (Jos 1.8). God even told how to teach it to your children. “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deut 6.6-9). They too will have the Father's love and joy.

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, help me to bring joy to Your heart by abiding in You by reading Your Word. When You share that joy with me, my joy will be complete! Amen.