Let the World See Our Joy

John 15:11; “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

The pregnancy of a woman is the result of an intimate private encounter. That encounter becomes evident outwardly, months later. God wants new life to be manifested. He wants the life of Jesus, lived thousands of years ago, to become our experience. These are the words echoed by our Savior, the night before He was put to the cross. Even hours prior to Him experiencing the most agonizing, gruesome, and unjust death, we see in Him a joy that His own disciples cannot fathom. What motivated Him to despise the shame and endure the cross was “…the joy that was set before Him… (Hebrews 12:2).” God wants the intimacy of our relationship with Christ to bring about the power of His presence no matter what our circumstances. He wants our joy to be full as His presence shows up in our lives.

What is the evidence of the new life? You see, during pregnancy, most women experience mild to severe morning sickness for weeks, if not, months together. Others experience sleepless nights. Yet others have trouble walking. Still other experience a whole lot of experiences that severely hinder their daily normal routine. However, ALL these inconveniences cannot be compared with the joy of knowing that she will hold new life in her arms at the end of term.

So many Christians yearn for happiness. They want better houses, bigger cars and better circumstances than the present ones. And there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But the sad truth is that they lose their joy because they don’t receive what they wish for. This is because true life is not manifested in them. It may be that we may lose our jobs, our homes, our health, and even, our lives. No matter what circumstance we go through, my prayer is that we be filled with Jesus Christ on the inside so that our joy will be evident on the outside.

Stephen Thomas (Bobby)

Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com