Tidings of Comfort and Joy

The more I read the Bible, the more I am convinced that Jesus did not come to earth to aid and abet me in being human. The human existence is centered around death. People even say you are born to die, yet Jesus said He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus also gave us tools to use so that we can access life in every situation. We are all still human and there are times in life when we experience pain. What do you do when you hurt? What do you do when you feel crushed by the circumstances around you? I want you to know that the Word of God has insight for us and that insight can ignite a power that combats the pain. That power is joy. Let’s look into this gift Jesus gave us. Day 1 John 15:9-11 NIV As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. I once had the privilege of visiting Brooklyn Tabernacle and that day they had a guest speaker, Pastor Ron Brown from California. He shared this scripture in a way that I have never considered. Over the next few weeks we will dig into the Word and understand what the joy of the Lord is and how we can use it in our lives. So let’s start with the first thing Jesus says in verse 9. Love. The Father loved Jesus and Jesus loved us. We know this is true. God is love. (1 John 4:8). God so loved. (John 3:16) He has lavished His love on us (1 John 3:1), and Jesus demonstrated His love to us by dying for us while we were sinners. (Romans 5:8). The basis for everything in the Christian life is love. Nothing about the Christian life will make sense if you don’t understand that God loves you. Paul prayed in Ephesians 3 that we would have power to grasp the love of God! It’s so great that we may have experienced the depth without even touching the width or length. In Galatians 5, Paul tells us that the Fruit of the Spirit or what naturally develops in our lives as a result of having the Holy Spirit inside of us, is love. When we are connected with Jesus, the very essence of who He is, Love, comes out of us. It’s the way an orange tree makes oranges. That’s what it was created to do, and it does it naturally. Love produces love. But you cannot have love without God because God is love. This is not a conditional love or a love that will ever end. You cannot qualify for this love, therefore you cannot be disqualified from this love. Remember God is love. That’s not something He does. It is who He is. It is His nature. If you know your Fruit of the Spirit you know that out of that love comes joy. These are spiritual forces that carry power. They can change our lives and our situations. So first step, get in this love so that you can remain there. Lord, I want to know Your love. Reveal Yourself and Your love to me. In Jesus’ Name…