God’s Pathway to Joy
“I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in on; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast love me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:23-24
If I could sit down with a group of people and ask them how to experience joy, I might get all kinds of answers: practice gratitude, take regular vacations, cultivate a hobby, don’t worry, and remember that money won’t fix all your problems.
But in God’s Word, I found a little nugget recently that I hadn’t noticed before which pointed me to another answer that made me smile. In John 15:9-11 Jesus says:
“As the Father hath loved me, so have I love you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you; that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full”
When I have read this passage before, my eyes have always fallen on “If you keep my commandments . . .”
Okay, God. Yes, I get it. If I follow your commandments, I will experience joy. That means I shouldn’t lie, steal, and all that stuff. Then, my joy will be full.
But in my Bible, there is a break in the text and white space on the page before you get to verse 12 which adds a delightful surprise to this passage that I hadn’t really paid attention to before. Verses 12-13 say:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Jesus is saying, “You can do all kinds of things to try and experience joy, but if you really want to know how you can really grab onto joy: then follow my commandment to love one another as I have loved you.”
This means loving others is God’s pathway to joy. This passage also reveals that relationships are hugely important to God because loving one another as He loves us is His command. It’s not a suggestion.
We can go searching all over the world looking for joy in experiences, in stuff, and achievements. But Jesus says, “Do you want to know how to experience joy? Jesus tells us how. Be in authentic relationships with one another, love one another, and serve one another. That’s how you can experience joy.”
Simple truth. Powerful impact.
Who can you intentionally love today by serving them to obey Christ and experience joy?
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Prayer
Lord, it’s so easy to lose focus in life and forget that what is most important to you is loving others. Please enlarge my heart and help me to abide in your love so I can love as you love. Amen.
Application
Take one small action today to intentionally serve someone else so you can experience joy.
Related Readings
Matthew 22:39; Galatians 5:14; Romans 15:2
