THE LOVE JOY CONNECTION
John 15:11-13 NKJV
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
In my opinion, chapters 13-17 in the book of John are the most in-depth teachings of all the gospels. Chapter fifteen is the one where Jesus speaks in depth regarding our connection to Him. He is the vine, and we are the branches. We are called to stay connected to Him and be fruitful. Chapter fifteen is one of the chapters I have been spiritually chewing on for years. Do I have a full understanding of all Jesus is saying? Nope. So I focus on what I do understand. That’s my general rule for scripture. I focus on what I do know instead of getting hung up on what I don’t.
So here is what I know about our verses for today. Number one, Jesus is not giving His disciples impossible objectives. Neither is He trying to make their lives miserable. Jesus wants His followers to have the same joy that He has. He wants His followers to have joy to the full. And I so appreciate that fact. Too often, Christianity is portrayed as a joyless drudgery. But that is not an accurate representation of this life we have in Christ. Connected to Him and walking in the light we have, there is a joy that is inwardly regulated. It’s not dependent on outward events. The world’s system is dependent on favorable circumstances and pleasure to produce happiness. Joy is an inner strength that sustains and strengthens us even when life is not favorable.
Number two, the divine kind of love is connected to joy. This love is the type of love that Jesus has for us. This love is the love that lays down its life for others. Jesus did it literally. Most of us are not called to give our lives for the gospel. Although, in other parts of the world, that is still a reality. Our laying down of our lives is not doing what we want in order to help and lift someone else. It really is putting others first.
And number three, Jesus gave us a commandment to love one another. This is Jesus repeating the commandment He laid out in chapter thirteen. We are to love others as He has loved us. If you are unsure of what this kind of love looks like, 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen spells out how this divine kind of love acts. And notice I said acts as opposed to feels. The kind of love Jesus has asked of us is not wrapped up in feelings. Instead, this love is an action. Beyond words, this love is visible. Jesus said this kind of love is a choice we make and is the number one way the world knows that we are His disciples.
If we look at the action of divine love as an important connection to joy, it may help us and motivate us to pursue this love. If we see love as a strength as opposed to a weakness, it will be a positive incentive to walk this way. First, we must believe we have the capacity to act in this manner. And then, we begin to practice making these choices to love as Jesus did. We won’t be disappointed. We’ll be more pleasing to Him and more fruitful, and our joy will increase. That’s a win/win/win.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that I can walk in the same kind of love that You did. Thank You that You desire for my joy to be full and have shown me the path to get there.