When I was a child, we sang a song that said, “I have the joy, joy, joy, joy deep down in my heart.” The song teaches children that having Jesus in your heart and being obedient to Bible teachings bring you joy in your life.
We’ve been looking at the fruit of the spirit, and one of the fruit of spirit is to have joy. But as we get older, we forget these songs and we don’t always have the joy of Jesus anymore.
Today let’s look at what Jesus said about having joy.
I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.
John 15:11
The first question I have when I read this verse is what did Jesus say right before this verse about having joy in life?
In verse 9-10 immediately before this verse, Jesus says that the God the father loved him and Jesus loves us. Then Jesus says in verse 10, if you love me, keep my commandments and you will abide in my love. This is where most of us stumble.
We don’t like being told what to do. We have a hard time submitting our will to God’s will. But the way to have the joy of Jesus is to follow him and keep his commandments.
Most of us don’t think obedience brings joy. We feel like rules and obedience are hard and take away our right to have our joy. But Jesus teaches us that obedience to his words are what will bring us joy and it will not be burdensome.
We often feel obeying the Bible and following Jesus to be hard. We want our way. But when I look at my life I see times that I got “my way” and it wasn’t the best way and it didn’t bring my joy, it brought me pain and trouble.
If you want to have the joy of Jesus, true and lasting joy, trust Jesus and keep his commandments. Jesus loves you and wants the best for you. Remember, following Jesus is not to take away your rights and privileges, but to protect you so you can have real and lasting joy.
