Good Morning.
I wonder if there would be anything that we could desire more than greater joy. Think of it. Joy, that wonderful word which describes a Christian state of being.
Please note that I did not refer to joy as a desirable emotion. I would not argue that it could be included among the emotions that define our immediate state of being, but I would argue that to minimize joy as only an emotion is to miss out on the fullness of its truth.
The world is happy to define joy as an emotion. Merriam-Webster has this definition – Joy: The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. OK, but is that it? Is there more to joy than a feeling of elation caused by present circumstances? To me, those words better define the emotion of happiness.
What is joy, then? I am asking from a Christian perspective, because Jesus had some things to say about joy. Consider: John 15:10-12 “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. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Jesus tells us that our joy is fundamentally tied up in our love relationship with Him, and our love relationship with Him is tied up in our willing obedience to His commands. He says that when our love for Him is as it should be, His joy will be in us and that when His joy is in us, our joy becomes “full”, all that it can be.
In my own mind I often relate joy to a feeling of supreme happiness that is not fleeting but foundational. A feeling of happiness that is assured, dependable, central, powerful, attitude changing and life altering. I do not believe that this kind of joy is available to us on worldly terms. That kind of joy is supernatural. That kind of joy has a divine origin. That kind of joy is as definite as our faithful relationship with Jesus.
Would you like greater joy today (and who wouldn’t)? Then let’s consider what we might need to do to improve our obedience to our Lord. And oh, by the way, the single command that Jesus includes in His promise of complete joy is this: This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Love one another and claim your greater joy in Jesus!
Vern