Key verse: John 15:11
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Read: John 15:1-11
Joy is the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of processing what one desires. It is often used interchangeably with happiness. But real and lasting joy is in doing the dictates of God an insight into which the Lord Jesus Christ has given us. If only we can hearken to Christ, then there is no missing our joy.
To access joy, we must learn that the earth and everything in it, including ourselves belong to God. To access the best on earth we must be able to reach God. We however do not have direct access to God except through Christ Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the Vine who is linked to the Husbandman who owns all things. Indeed, it is in Him that all things consist. For anyone to take benefit of the husbandman, there is need for the same to be hinged to the Vine. Doing so is to become a branch in the Vine. The Vine produces fruits through the branches by supplying them every nutrient required. From time to time, there may be other growths on the branch to stultify the growth of the fruits. These the husbandman prunes to allow the branch bear more fruits. So, without the Vine, the branch can do nothing. When the branch does well in fruit bearing, it blossoms and is beautiful to behold. This beauty endears it to people and brings it joy.
The Lord is asking us to stay put in Him. Staying put is obeying His commands and abiding in His Word without shifting. When Peter stayed in Him, the failed fisherman became a blossomy fisher of men that it became almost impossible to count the fruits he bore at a time. He could pull people out of their hardships and call the dead back to life. One can imagine the kind of joy he experienced in all these. We also can experience joy if we emulate them that had gone before us in good deeds by abiding in the true Vine, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s abstain from worldliness and sin. Let’s stop leading others to the sinful ways and thereby straying them away from the Vine. Rather, let’s show them the power in the Vine and the benefit of hooking up thereto. This guarantees us fullness of joy now and in the end. Continuous fruit bearing is key to retention of joy.
Pray: Father, help me to stay put in you, the source of my life and the supplier of needed nutrients and strength, never to stray or lead others away ever in Jesus name. Please let my joy be full, from now on in the name of Jesus Christ.
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