“And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” 1 John 1:4
December 4, 2023
The maladies of loneliness and anxiety. We are being told this is what is afflicting our society. Too many of us are not enjoying life. Know this. The last living apostle, John, writes to announce that Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to experience eternal happiness in God. Plain and simply, John is saying that what he has just said concerning the person of Christ (1:1-3) is so that our joy may be full. For this to be true in our experience, we have to put out the old furniture of the soul on the street. Joy is not a sense of humor. Humor is not a bad thing. It’s just too limited. It’s unequally distributed and can be quite superficial. Nor is the joy John is talking about merely a personality thing. It is also not making ourselves think things are really better in this world than they really are. Jesus Christ is our joy. He makes it possible to experience shared authority, convictions, purpose, and the reality of the gospel. We can participate in the life of Christ together with our fellow family members in the body of Christ. Is this where you are? Joy is that state of mind when we are satisfied in God and in His goodness. This joy is completed by filling in the cracks of life. Am I friendly, helpful, kind? Am I satisfied with God in trials? Am I forgiving? Not grumpy. Am I loving and thankful. Do people have to walk on eggshells around me? Joy is a gift of God’s grace. Don’t stay home or leave home without it.
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“O Lord of all joy, fill my cup and make me full. Give me that flowing spring of inner happiness that never runs dry.”