“I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [continue in His love with Me]. I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing” (John 15:9, 11).
True joy and gladness come from God, but many of us do not really know this experientially. We want gladness to be in our lives, yet it seems that our circumstances often rob us from finding the place of true joy. Because we live in a fallen world full of imperfect people, inconsistencies, and challenges it can become a problem when we solely seek joy through our changing circumstances. In other words, everyone’s life will consist of ups and downs. When we believe the lie that true joy and gladness occur only when life is good and things are going our way, we set ourselves up for emotional and spiritual defeat. We may question God’s goodness or listen to Satan’s accusations and lies that condemn us when we feel weary or down. The enemy wants us to try to straighten up apart from seeking God’s understanding, help, and healing for our hearts and minds. This will then lead us into a state of overwhelming anxiety, worry, fear, and sadness-not joy or gladness.
The truth is this: God wants all of us to experience this undeserved joy and gladness while living in this ever-changing, challenging world-and it is possible! A full measure of complete and overflowing joy abides in the mystery of Jesus’ love! His love for us is so enormous and powerful that it can bring healing to our heart and mind, while lifting us to the heights of joy, unspeakable and full of glory.
It is only through Lord Yahweh that we will be able to discover this beautiful way to live. Jesus paid the price for our sin on the cross, and wants to maintain a personal relationship with each of us. On His side of the relationship, there is unconditional love, as He calls us to come to Him and continue on in His love. On our side of the relationship, we sometimes falter, but because His love is so much bigger than our weaknesses, we always have His open invitation to stay in relationship with Him and grow in love. That constant will never change in this world or the next. Learning to pour out our hurting, discouraged, or angry heart onto Jesus through heart felt prayer, as a way of life, is the key to finding true joy! He is big enough to take our weakness and give us what we really need to overcome in this fallen world.
When we continue in Jesus’ love, He delights in us, then our own joy and gladness will be complete and overflowing. This is His promise to us! If we truly seek Him- we will truly find Him- don’t give up- press on- your victory of peace and joy will come!
