“Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10
“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. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” – John 15:9-11
Another great need in the disciplined Christian life is having a disciplined mind that grows in the knowledge and grace of Christ, that grows in knowing His great love to and for you, knowing His Word, and then that knowledge and relationship blossoming in the fruit of great joy. In many ways, it’s wonderful to be disciplined, to be comforted, instructed, and corrected by the love of God, and that then bearing double fruit in the sense of you bearing the fruit of joy, as well as you being grown and blessed by joy as it rises and remains in you. It’s also wonderful for that joy to be a part of your disciplined walk.
You find a beautiful testimony of this in Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites teaching the people God’s law, the people’s understanding being opened, and them weeping when they heard the words of the Law. (Nehemiah 8:9) They were truly humbled and broken before the Lord. And yet, what comfort did those men give them? Go your way, eat, drink, send portions to those who have none, “for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (v. 10) Do you see a wonderful lesson for you here? As you are confronted and humbled by the sin you see as you gaze into the mirror of God’s law, you’re not encouraged to stay and wallow in sorrow. No, that sorrow leads you to repentance. You are driven to the arms and love of Christ, and knowing His mercy and forgiveness, you stand again in joy, as well as walk forward knowing the joy of the Lord to be your strength.
As you meditate on this today and this week, it’s good to be mindful that the second fruit of the Spirit that Paul taught the churches in Galatia is joy. Similar to love, there are good and important things to learn about joy, especially as it’s a fruit that should be consistently manifest in your lives. In the preceding context of John 15, Jesus likens Himself to a vine and those who profess His name to the branches of this vine (John 15:1–3). As branches take part in the vine to yield fruit, so too must we abide in Christ to bear spiritual fruit. In verse 11 of this passage, Jesus explained why He had taught the disciples these things: “that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full.”
Notice three things in His instruction:
1) The joy that Jesus desires to see in you is His joy. He is the author, source and giver of this joy. Like love, He graciously and abundantly gives it to you. Further, His desire is to see it bearing fruit in you.
2) Christ wants His joy to remain, or lit. that it “may be” in you. Jesus wants you to have His lasting and persevering joy, not a roller-coaster ride of moods shifting between joy and misery. Considering this, it’s important that you know there is a difference between happiness and godly joy. Your happiness may wax and wane, but the key to a Christian’s joy is its source, which is your Lord. If you are abiding in Christ and He in you, then that relationship isn’t an occasional experience. You always have a reason for joy in Christ even in the worst situation on earth!
3) Jesus also distinguishes between His joy and your joy and expresses the desire that your joy should be full. This is what you should desire also. You don’t want a partial portion of the fruit of the Spirit. You don’t want just a little bit of joy. You want all of the joy that the Father has stored up for His people.
That fullness of joy comes from Christ. It is first His joy that He gives to you, and as you are joined to Him, this joy that comes from Him increases and becomes full as you hear, meditate on, and understand the words of love He has spoken to you. There is a fullness that awaits you as the fruit of the Spirit is nurtured by the true vine. Look forward to this with anticipation!
Beloved, all of your attempts to find joy will be futile if you search for sources apart from Christ. You can’t make yourselves joyful in your own power or successes. But as you live in Christ, His perfect joy will dwell in you and make your experience of joy ever more consistent and full. May this be a great salve to your soul, and strength that lifts your head in the midst of stress, sorrow, pain, discouragement, and other trials you may be facing now or will in the days ahead.