“And now come I to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” John 17:13
Dear Ones:
Christianity always begins with WHO God is, what He has done, expressed by what He declares. Since He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, there is depthless authority in His person, work, and word. In the consideration of the subject of “joy,” seeking to see it from Heaven’s standpoint, and to understand how it can be known, we must begin with the God of joy, for its origin, essence, and expression is in Christ.
In the book of Nehemiah, after the people of Israel had been greatly saddened by the knowledge of their unfaithfulness to God, they were instructed to not grieve, “…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Neh. 8:10) Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians, “…for the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace…” (Gal. 5:22) In both instances, we find that the source of true joy is Christ. Joy is one, unveiled aspect of the Life of Christ by the Spirit. Can we know this joy, and in what measure?
Heavenly joy is both a “spring of water,” and an experience of drinking at that spring. It is a source because it exists perpetually in Christ, being one everlasting expression of His nature. It is also the experience of the believer who goes to the well, and drinks by faith of this never-ending, unalterable, living stream. What then is the will of God for us with regard to “joy?” Simply put, it is “fullness of joy.” Fullness can be quiet or very demonstrative. The issue is not so much the expression, but the possession of it. The Lord Jesus prayed to this end, “…that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” (Jn. 17:13) How? It begins with a knowledge of Who and What God is, what He has done for us in placing us in Christ, providing us all that is in Christ to respond in faith.
When Paul addressed the Christians in Philippi, he wrote: “Rejoice in the Lord, ALWAYS…and again I say rejoice.” (4:4) Why? It is as we see by faith, according to the word of God, the supreme, and wholly beautiful character of the everlasting Christ, that our hearts are lifted above the consideration of all else. Our perspective is a true one, as we grasp that there is none so worthy to be rejoiced and delighted in, as Christ. It is as He is worshipped, and rejoiced in, that His joy is communicated to our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Father, give us a vision of Your joy, and grace to trust Thee for it, believing Thee to fill us in an ever-increasing manner for You glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad