THE JOY OF
THE LORD.
BY W.L.G.
These things I have spoken unto you, that My joy
might remain in you, and your joy might be full.
-St. John, xv:11.
This is the promise of our Lord to
all His faithful, believing children, that they might have an abiding joy, a
joy that shall “remain in you.” This joy is not of the world and will never be
realized by pursuing after it through earthly means.
Many cannot conceive it possible to
have a joy which shall remain in us, simply because they compare it with all
their previous experiences of joy, which were mostly of their own begetting
from earthly resources. The joy of the Lord is not of us, but in us by His
Spirit given unto us, that we may ‘rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of
glory.”
“Joy unspeakable!” Alas, how many
have once experienced the beginning o this and gradually lost it, until they
were persuaded that its fullness and freshness was only to be expected for a
limited time after conversion. Thus the adversary has robbed them of a great
and invaluable blessing, that which would give them power to work successfully
for the Master, that which would make their words burning words, and carry conviction
to the minds and hearts of the hearers.
The Word says, “The joy of the Lord
is your strength,” and again, “In Thy presence is fullness of joy.” Yes, such a
fullness as completely fills the souls; our entire being is in a state of rest.
“When God bringeth back the
captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice,
and Israel shall be glad.” (Psa. liii: 6.) The Bible is so full on this subject
that I do not feel called to add many words to the texts concerning this, the
great energizing power of the Christian life. Again we read, “Restore unto me
the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold
me with Thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners
shall be converted unto Thee.”-(Psa. li: 12,13.) Here we see one result of this
joy of the Lord-the conversion of sinners.
If we desire the salvation of
others, let us see to it that we go to God and get filled with His joy, as the
needful preparation to work successfully for Him. He has Himself coupled our
“fullness of joy’ with the fullest and best preparation for service; thus work
becomes a pleasure-not a task. My heart has often felt sad for those who toil
in the Vineyard, impelled only by a sense of duty, living as a servant and not
as a child. Imagine a mother caring for her children, out of a mere sense of
duty: what servitude! But with her mother’s love her cares are lightened, and
burdens become a pleasure.
Our Saviour says, “Ask, and ye shall
receive, that your joy may be full.”-(St. John, xvi:24.) The fullness of joy is
what we all need to prepare us for the accomplishment of life’s work. In that
wonderful prayer of our Lord’s for His disciples He prays that they might have
His joy “fulfilled in themselves.” Again, “Take the Kingdom of God is
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Let us realize that this
joy is not of ourselves, but the gift of the Holy Ghost, and let us not pursue
after it as an attainment, lest, like our shadow, and the faster we pursue the
faster it fly from us. But let us take Jesus into our hearts fully, and He
brings His joy with Him, and while He abides in us, His joy abides, for in Him
is no darkness at all. “The fruit is love, joy, peace…”
Our dear Heavenly Father does not
desire us to live in darkness and gloom. Life should be sunshine, not shade;
light, not darkness; joy, not sadness; rest, not anxious care. And when our
entire being is fully placed in God’s hands, it will be ours to realize the
fulfillment of these “exceeding great and precious promises.”
Reader, seek earnestly a
completeness in Christ, and you shall have with Him a fullness of joy.
