13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”
I am reminded of King David’s words in Psalm 16:
11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalms 16:11 (NIV)
John the Baptist echoes the same sentiment when he states:
27 To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:27-30 (NIV)
Fullness of joy; complete joy found only in the presence of Jesus. It is a joy quite unlike our circumstantial word “happy” which we find ourselves in a state of when all is favorable to our liking or choosing. The joy Jesus speaks of does not rely on chance or happenstance, people places or things. It does not rely on the Christmas tree or even in the people who gather around it. Its reliance, rather, is set on the Lord Jesus Christ Who never changes like shifting shadows and Who is present in all circumstances. Paul lists joy as the second fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Gal 5:22-25 (NIV)
Sadly, believers have the ability to shrink joy in their lives. This occurs when we choose to focus on our circumstances rather than on Christ and we end up becoming a reflection of the world rather than the Lord. Certainly I am not the only one out there who has noticed a myriad of joyless Christians. This should not be! We are certainly the losers when we allow joylessness to occur in our own lives. There is an inward sense of comfort and joy that Christ imparts to believers which no one knows except him who has received it. Scripture tells us:
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess 5:16-18 (NIV)
God desires for His people to be joyful because of the blessings that are theirs in Christ Jesus. Indeed, the word for “grace” in the Greek means “something that delights” and is at the very heart and hand of God. It is as the great acronym states: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
“Oh, what joy rises in our souls as we realize that God’s love and mercy are new every morning! Each day is a fresh start, a new chance. Grace washes over us afresh like the morning dew. Great is His faithfulness!”
This is why Paul tells us in Philippians that we are to rejoice in the Lord at all times and then ditto’s it. He is not simply telling us to be happy rather to rejoice in the Lord – what He has done for us, what He is doing for us, and what He continues to do for us. Certainly there are circumstances where we discover our happiness abated yet we can always find joy in the Lord and as Nehemiah stated, it is our strength.
10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Neh 8:10 (NIV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Phil 4:4 (NIV)
“We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by ‘looking unto Jesus’. Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him. Oh! Let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.” C. H. Spurgeon