Joy is a spiritual quality. It is not to be confused with happiness. Joy goes deeper. You can fill your life with things that bring happiness, but never know joy.
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 NIV
The NIV version says “I have told you this,” the New King James version says, “I have told you these things.”
What things? Glad you asked.
Jesus has much to say to his disciples right before he was betrayed and arrested. The words of Jesus in John 14, 15, 16 and 17 are from the heart of Jesus to every believer. It is His final teaching before His death, and it seems that everything they were taught up until that point was leading up to these very important and final instructions.
As I read closely, a few things grab my attention.
Jesus says, first of all, “Abide in Me and I in you.” John 15:4
Abide.
Abide!!
Abide? You may ask, how do we do that?
It’s important to define the word. It simply means to remain, continue, stay, live in, or dwell.
Don’t fail to notice that not only are we instructed to dwell and live in Him (abide), but ALSO that He is to abide, (dwell and live) in us.
Let’s read on.
“If you abide in Me and My words abide in you…” John 15:7
Ah, ha! If MY WORDS abide in you, He says.
In other words, if My words live (are alive) in you…
God’s word. It’s always emphasized. It must be the core of our life. It is to abide in us. We cannot accomplish this unless we READ IT! (Friend, I encourage you to read God’s word. He wrote it for you-the entire book. It’s the way to fall in love with Him.)
The Lord touched my heart the other day with a verse that came in a moment that I didn’t want to obey. I felt as though the words on the page of my Bible were written just for me, and my situation.
“But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.” Deuteronomy 30:11
There was my answer.
God was telling me, I’ve put my word in your mouth and in your heart, not to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, not to simply inspire you, but that you will OBEY it.
Yes, Lord. It came with a sigh, but also a heartfelt desire to obey. I had to chose obedience over my feelings.
Back to John.
Jesus said, “He who abides in Me and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without me, you can do nothing.” John 15:5
You can do NOTHING without Him. Strong word. But IN HIM, we will be fruitful, well watered, producing fruit from our lives.
So the question must be asked again, how does one abide?
Jesus gives the answer.
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:10
If you keep my commandments… you will abide.
Obedience.
Obedience first, then you will abide.
OK, you may say, but obedience in what?
Obedience in all things. But there’s a place we must start.
Jesus taught us that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:34-40).
Love the Lord your God. Love Him! It’s the greatest thing He asks of us, and the greatest thing we can do to obey. Everything that comes next, the obedience that follows, is easier and comes more naturally when we love God deep down, with our whole heart–desiring to please Him in everything we do. But it must start with loving God. Otherwise we’re just going through motions.
Moses said the same, but I love the next words Moses speaks.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… and these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” Deuteronomy 6:5-6
It’s always about the heart! God cares more about what is on the inside, than anything else. And for me, what is on the inside constantly needs a good cleaning up and cleaning out! He’s saying that God’s word needs to be in our hearts. Get rid of the the things that you put first in your life, in place of God, and put his word there instead. Anything we put before God is an idol. God warns us not to have idols.
“I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11
We cannot forget the second command, which is to love others (as you love yourself). TOUGH! But Jesus taught it as the second greatest commandment of God.
This brings us back to our first verse:
“I have told you [these things] so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11
I have told you these things…
In other words, Jesus told us these things so that we will know the way to joy (and not just joy, but joy that is complete). They way to joy is through abiding. The way to abiding is through obedience. They way to obedience is by loving the Lord your God will all your heart, soul and mind and loving your neighbor as you love yourself.
LOVE GOD –> LOVE OTHERS –> OBEDIENCE –> ABIDING –> JOY
We cannot think for a moment that we can have one without the others. We will never arrive at joy, until we have surrendered ourselves completely to a Holy and awesome God. Fall in love. I dare you!
