Joy is a permanent condition. We can have joy even in the midst of great sorrow. The source of our joy is Jesus. He has given us His teachings, some of the miracles He performed, and sacrificed for us for that purpose.
Jesus states in today’s passage that He told His disciples (and us) all that He has taught them to make their joy complete. He told them of the Father’s love for Him, and His love for them, just before this statement and continues speaking of love following it.
The love of Christ and our love for one another completes our joy. Doesn’t that make perfect sense? As we experience His love, we feel at peace. We take comfort in the love God has for us. The closer we get to God, the more we experience His love for us.
Getting closer to God is a key contributor to experiencing a true and lasting joy. It is a cycle that feeds on itself. We grow closer to God and our joy increases; our joy increases and we seek to grow closer to God. As the cycle continues, we rise above the worries of this world. No, we won’t completely leave all worries behind in this world, but they will become less stressful on us as our joy increases.
Doesn’t it also make sense that as our joy increases, we show love toward others? As we experience the love of God, we desire to show that love to others. We show it through actions, such as giving someone a hug when they need it, serving meals to those in need, providing clothes for those less fortunate, or simply listening to someone who needs to unload their troubles. Those are acts of love and care that well up from the joy we have inside us—joy that comes from the love of Christ.
I pray we all experience the love of God. I pray we increase our joy in the love of Christ. I pray each one of us shows the love of God to others because of the true joy we have within us. Experience God’s love. Experience true joy. Show God’s love that comes from your joy. Make your joy complete by coming closer to God.
John 15:11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Marty Pressey 