HOLDING FAST FOR FULLNESS OF JOY

joy  /joi/

Noun A feeling of great pleasure and happiness. A thing that causes joy.   Joy from the world's perspective and joy from a biblical or spiritual sense is definitely different.  From a spiritual aspect joy is extreme happiness experienced when the believer contemplates salvation and eternity.  It's not based on circumstances, but on Christ.  The Psalms often express the joyous mood of believers as they encounter God.  Believers rejoice because God has surrounded them with his steadfast love (32:11) and brought them to salvation (40:16; 64:10).    One thing that brings me true joy is to read and study the word and another is to act on the word.   This morning I read in John 15 where Christ says I am clean because of the word spoken to me.  I'm sure I have read this verse plenty of times, but this morning it jumped off the page, perhaps because I have spent the weekend sick and feel anything but clean or well, but I love where it says "You, (substitute your name), are ALREADY CLEAN ..."  I looked up the word "clean" in the original text and this is where it gets good ... it means pruned and fit to bear fruit and pure, but the best part of the definition is it means "Levitically clean".    When you study the Old Testament and all that was required for a person to stay "Levitically clean" from the type of clothes you had to wear, to the sacrifices, etc., it is a huge thing for Christ to say this, "you are already Levitically clean" because of my Word.  Why does He tell us these things?  Because He wants us to have complete and fullness of joy.   What is our response to be?  Love of Christ and love of others, the kind of life giving love that Christ had for us, agape love.  Can we do this on our own?  No, apart from Him we can do NOTHING, especially love like He loves and when we pour out our lives for Him and others that is when we will find complete and fullness of joy.   We do not have to do anything else to be clean, we are already clean, but to have joy, fullness of joy, we must stay close (abide), to be continually present in His Love.  How do we do this?  By doing what He asks (His commandments) and that is when we will experience REAL JOY.   When God's will is obeyed and His promises are fulfilled joy is made complete in you!       Blessings abundant and abundant joy :)