That your joy may be complete...


 Joy – a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

Do you feel joy? It’s not typically the word we use in conversation; we tend to say we’re happy or glad about things. The question remains, though: do you feel joy?

There are two types of joy: reactionary joy or joy that is ‘soul-deep’. Soul-deep joy is a deep and lasting joy, regardless of circumstances. Proverbs has many verses that speak about joy; “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish” (Proverbs 10:28). Or we can turn to Proverbs 17:22, where it says, “A joyful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Where do we find ‘soul-deep’ joy? We saw in Proverbs 10:28 that it comes from the hope of the righteous. What is that hope? In Luke 2:10-11, we read, “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Our joy is found in our Savior!

In John 15:1-11, Jesus speaks about being the true vine, and God the Father is the vinedresser. He prunes the branches that bear fruit to cause them to increase their fruit, but He takes away the unfruitful. We must abide in the vine to bear fruit, for a branch on its own cannot bear any fruit. The Father is glorified when we “bear much fruit and so prove to be My (His, that is, Jesus) disciples” (John 15:8). We must keep God’s commands and abide in the Father’s love as Jesus did. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).

We can see that we receive joy by abiding in the Father’s love and bearing fruit. If we turn to Galatians 5:22, we read that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. By God’s grace and the working of the Holy Spirit, we find joy in the knowledge of all that Christ has done for us. We can have a ‘soul-deep’ joy knowing that we are saved from our sins and in striving to live as God requires. When we have this ‘soul-deep’ joy, it doesn’t matter what our circumstances are in life; we will find ourselves, by the working of the Holy Spirit, rejoicing in the Lord. We are to “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

As Christians, we know that our salvation came at a great cost to our Savior, and we can rest in the promises God has given us, looking forward to the life to come. So when your circumstances weigh you down, look to the true source of ‘soul-deep’ joy, and as Paul commands, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

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