Growth Points: Complete Joy
dlplife December 28th, 2007
“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:10-12
Years ago Lana worked as a crisis counsellor at a large Christian psychiatric clinic. Can you guess their busiest time of the year? It was Christmas, both before and after. Anxiety, loneliness, financial problems, unrealistic expectations, conflict in families, and the general disappointment that Christmas has come and gone and life is just the same, all contribute to emotional holiday stress.
Even for “normal people”, whatever ”normal” means, the post-Christmas letdown is often the most depressing time of the year. If Christmas is the happiest, post Christmas seems to be the saddest. Perhaps this is entirely understandable if we have missed the meaning of the coming of Christ we would not experience His joy in our lives. So, let’s review. Why did Christ come? He came to bring us salvation and life, as He said, ”For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10b).
In the John 15 passage above we read that Christ offers us completeness of joy as we live in the Father’s love. Obeying His commands and remaining in God’s love does not mean that we must act a certain way to be deserving of God’s love. God’s love is something we cannot earn. Christ is telling us, rather, to live by faith in the reality of the Father’s love. Simply trust that God really and truly loves you and act accordingly and your joy will increase.
Someone may ask, “But how do I know that God loves me?” Simple. You have God’s word on the matter. He has said repeatedly in the Bible that He loves you. Those who live in joy mentally remain in the truth of God’s love for them.
Having complete joy does not mean we live in a constantly ecstatic mental condition, but that we have joy for every occasion. When joy is complete then we have a reservoir of hope even when things on the outside are not exactly the way we want. That is the sign of complete joy, joy that enables us to get out minds off of ourselves and consider others.
This post Christmas season, enjoy the reality of God’s love for you, share this love with others, and your joy will increase.
Blessings,
Pastor