Read: John 15:9-17
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you,and that your joy may be full. (v. 11)
Do you know this JOY acronym: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last? It doesn’t seem realistic to find joy by putting yourself last. But the life God calls us to often seems upside down and backwards. Jesus demonstrated this by putting himself last when he washed the disciples’ feet, when he submitted to ridicule and scorn, and when he gave up his life. A life of joy includes self-sacrifice.
In The Book of Joy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu says, “Discovering more joy does not, I’m sorry to say, save us from the inevitability of hardship and heartbreak . . . Yet as we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters. We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreak without being broken.”
Jesus followed up his promise of fullness of joy by commanding his disciples to love each other as he loved them (John 15:2). Love and joy seem to go hand in hand. God loves us, in turn we love others, and then we experience joy. When we look at what God has done through Jesus, we find that source of joy: “When the righteous see God in action they’ll laugh, they’ll sing, they’ll laugh and sing for joy” (Ps. 68:3 The Message) If you are feeling “joyless,” look at Jesus’s example, think about how to love and serve others, and let the joy of the Lord fill your heart.
As you pray, ask Jesus to fill your life with his deep and abiding joy.
About the Author
Denise Vredevoogd
Denise Vredevoogd is a private piano teacher who lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan. She enjoys reading, writing, gardening, and spending time in nature with her adult sons and daughters.
