Love and joy
Love and Joy are quite possibly the most exciting things we get to experience this side of heaven; and yet, they don’t seem to hold the weight we know they should in our day and age. Since it feels like our world is being significantly desensitized towards “love” and “joy”, we believe there is no greater time than now to dive into God’s Word together and explore His design for what the world is desperately seeking but falling short in its quest for love and joy.
How does He want us to view love?
What was His design for a joyful life?
Last week, we discussed God as “The Good Gardener” and Christ’s call for us to abide in Him so He can produce abundant fruit in our lives. This week, we will be gleaning from John 15:9-13.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept 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” (John 15:9, NIV).
Christ calls us to abide in His love. This phrase “abide in My love” signifies a beautiful, intimate, and loving relationship with Jesus. When we choose to abide in Him, we simultaneously abide in His great love for us. The only way to abide in this precious Love is by actively choosing to keep His commands.
“love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12, NIV).
Abiding in His love must come first, always. We cannot miss this prioritization in our life. How well we experience love and joy will hinge on this daily choice.
Jesus also calls us to love others as we love ourselves. What a commandment! As we study this week, we are struck by God’s love for the human race. God is calling us, the Church, to edify others and reflect God’s heart for mankind. He truly loves and cherishes people. We should often stop and ponder on this truth: People are highly valuable to God and He desires for everyone to experience His love and joy to the fullest!!!
…His “joy may be in [us] and that [our] joy may be complete” (John 15:11)
Just as abiding in His love is an active choice, so is it with joy. Life is not always sunshine and roses as I’m sure you know — sometimes we go through hard and difficult times. Jesus’ idea of a “joyful life” is something deeper than just experiencing the good times. In order to receive the fruit of joy, sometimes we have to experience the hard times to see that our joy is not dependent on our circumstances. “True joy is deep and strong, not superficial. It is the quiet, confident assurance of God’s love and work in our lives - that He will be with us no matter what.” (NIV Study Bible Commentary)
The Good News is this: we can find overwhelming joy when rooted in a secure hope and confidence in the God of our salvation.
Finally, in the book of Habakkuk, we learn of a man who was seeking answers. He was troubled by what he observed, he asked tough questions. Habakkuk saw a grim future and he felt the weight of this knowledge. Just like Habakkuk, it is easy to look out into the world and see devastation at every corner and it warrants us to ask why so much evil? Or, “God, what’s the plan here?”
Instead of falling into defeat and discouragement, Habakkuk courageously chose to pray. He “boldly and confidently took his complaint to God and God answered him with proof and prediction” (NIV Study Bible Commentary).
After the LORD answered Habakkuk, this was his joyful response as he trusted God to one day make all things right:
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crops fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will REJOICE in God my Savior.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18, NIV)
Godly joy transcends ALL circumstances. We can be joyful in all circumstances because we have a God whose love abides in us and who is for us. Now that is Good News!