Sunday: Joy
“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4).
Look at what John wrote here. In a few simple words, he expresses what should be one of the great advantages we, as covenant people, have — and that is the promise of joy.
Image © Krieg Barrie at Goodsalt.com
As Christians, we are often told not to go by feeling, that faith is not feeling, and that we need to get beyond our feelings, all of which is true. But at the same time, we would not be human beings if we were not creatures of feelings, emotions, and moods. We cannot deny our feelings; what we need to do is understand them, give them their proper role, and as much as possible, keep them under control. But to deny them is to deny what it means to be human (we might as well tell a circle not to be round). Indeed, as this verse says, not only should we have feelings (in this case joy), but they should be full. It hardly sounds as if feelings are to be denied, does it?
Read the context of the above verse, starting at the beginning of the chapter. What was John writing to the early Christians that he hoped would make their joy full? And why should it give them joy?
John was one of the original Twelve. He was there, almost from the start of Christ’s three-and-a-half-year ministry, a witness to some of the most amazing events of Jesus’ life. (John was there at the Cross, at Gethsemane, and at the Transfiguration, as well). Thus, as an eyewitness, he was certainly well-qualified to talk about this subject.
Yet, notice too, that the emphasis is not on himself; it is on what Jesus had done for the disciples so they could now have fellowship not only with each other but with God Himself. Jesus has opened the way for us to enter into this close relationship with the Lord; and, one result of this fellowship — this relationship — is joy. John wants them to know that what they have heard about Jesus is true (he saw, touched, felt, and heard Him), and thus they, too, can enter into a joyful relationship with their heavenly Father, who loves them and gave Himself through His Son for them.
| In a certain sense, John is giving his own personal testimony. What is your own testimony regarding your relationship with Jesus? What could you say that could help increase someone’s joy in the Lord, as John sought to do here? |
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Readers of my comments will know that I spend a fair bit of my time out in the bush and in swamps endeavouring to photograph birds. A few weeks ago a Black-shouldered Kite was seen on my home patch and I wanted to get a good photograph of it. Not just a "bird on a stick" photo, but somethings that would make people take a second look and say "Wow!" Over period of a week I took about 400 photographs. (Imagine how much that would have cost in the days of film photography!) and ultimately I captured a photograph of this beautiful white bird with black shoulders with its wings outstretched against a deep blue sky. I knew I had taken what we photographers call "a keeper". It is hard to describe the joy that I feel when I know I have taken a good photograph. My science background tells me that there are special chemicals, serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins released into my bloodstream at times like these, but is feels almost sacrilege to reduce joy to chemistry. However it is well understood that joy is actually good for your health.
A very important aspect of joy is that it is infectious. Joy is something that you cannot really keep to yourself. To be effective it has to be shared.I have a group of friends who often go out on bird photography walks together. When one person in the group finds a less common bird, their excitement is shared with the rest of the group and even those of us who missed seeing the bird share in their joy of discovery.
Christianity is, or should be, a joyful religion. I have said previously that our lives should be such that our secularly-minded friends will exclaim, "I want some of that too!"
Paul had this to say:
The real paradox of Christianity is that Christ died so that we can experience joy.
So, Maurice now that you have whetted our appetites, how do we get see this beautiful photo?
Here you are Leilani:
Beautiful
Sir Maurice, do you have a link or a site where one can view your bird photographs?
https://ashton-scape.smugmug.com
Leilani has provided you with the address of my albums. You may also look up "Maurice Ashton" on Youtube. I have a number of bird and floral slideshows there that you are welcome to view. Some churches use them as interludes between Sabbath School and Church.
Wowee! Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Maurice, I'm glad I asked, It's beautiful.
Thank you Maurice
He gave us eyes to see them
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty
Who has made all things well.
It is too easy to consider joy to be a bubbly, positive emotion. To be sure, joy can have that 'feel' at times, but from a Biblical perspective, joy (Greek chara) is broader than merely an emotion.
HELPS word-studies unpacks the core meaning of chara better than Strongs when it describes chara as having a favourable disposition towards.
This ties in with James 1:2 use of joy (charan) as the result of having esteemed/appraised suffering as beneficial - in terms of suffering being 'resistance-training' opportunity for character development.
Thus, because God puts His reputation on the line when He promises to work all things together for good (Romans 8:28), we can appraise all situations and God Himself as ultimately favourable - even the ones that appear/feel very unfavourable in the present moment!
Consequently we can always have joy - and sometimes we will also feel joy.
You might like to contemplate Hebrews 12:2 in light of what I have outlined above: "...for the joy (charas) set before Him, Jesus endured the cross".
Jesus held on to awareness that the cross experience was essential to undergo and therefore held a 'favourable disposition' towards it - meaning he leaned into the path to the cross rather than avoiding doing so even though the avoidance was strongly tempting Him (Matthew 26:39). However, while there was the 'joy' of favourable disposition, the feelings of 'joy' were likely precluded by the suffering (physical and emotional) that Jesus unfortunately needed to endure in the course of manifesting absolute self-renouncing love for us and on our behalf (John 15:13).
I would submit that too often there is not enough 'unpacking' of concepts within scripture. As a consequence it is all too easy to only 'scratch-the-surface' of what is actually there - or all too frequently just run with the views of Christian tradition and/or impose our own ideas onto the words used. I do not say this to criticise, but to raise awareness of the need to think and investigate a little deeper. It takes some effort and time to do so, but the unlocked results are worth it. Rather like the effort Maurice goes to when going away and wading into swamps to take the time to find just the right bird photo!
Are you up for some 'word-watching'?
I love how you call it "word watching", Phil! I too find it very helpful to research the etymology and even the historical, cultural, and geographic background for a fuller context so I may understand better what Scripture is saying to me.
Joy
Jesus and Others and You.
With Joy in our hearts we place Jesus 1st, others 2nd and us last. Joy is not a feeling that comes and goes like happiness. Many intertwine and mix up what Joy and Happiness meant.
Joy is one of the attributes of the Holy Ghost that he gives when he comes to live in us. Joy rejoices without any outward things. Humans cant give Joy. Joy rejoices even in hard times and disaster, whether we eat or drink. It is alive even if our enemies is encroaching on us.
Neh 8:10; Matth 25:21. John 16:22Rom 15:13
Some people equate joy with money, fame, promotion, mansions or achieving great things. In the world of sports, athletes cry of joy when they win a championship. As a Christian, we are call to be joyful no matter what the circumstances are.
In I Thessalonians 5: 16, Paul stated:
"Always be joyful (NLT)."
For the Christians, we have to be joyful no matter what the circumstances are. We need to be joyful because:
we have Jesus in our lives
the battle has been won at Calvary
He has gone to prepare a place for us
He will never forsake us
Lastly, He is coming back to take us home, when we will say "adieu" to this wicked world to live a joyful life forever.
Have a great week and let us continue to live for Him.
Phil, I agree, often there is too much surface reading of scripture to receive the deeper meaning of the scripture. I'm wondering if peace could be substituted for JOY in the context you mention for joy? I'm trying to wrap my brain around what you wrote so the analogy that comes to mind is of a woman in pregnancy, labor and childbirth is or can be joyful not because of those experiences but because of what awaits at the end. The birth of a child. So Jesus was focused not on his walk, humiliation, death but on the gift he would give his father if successfully doing what Adam failed to do. Am I tracking with you?
Hi Myron
Thanks for joining in the conversation.
The way I conceptualise peace and joy, there is definitely overlap between these two concepts, and also some slight though significant difference. Joy being a ‘leaning into’ disposition and peace being a ‘settled into’ groundedness. But I wouldn’t start an argument with you over the choice to use one word over the other, so you could use peace as an equivalent if that worked better for you.
Yes, you appear to be tracking with me with your use of pregnancy-birth experience analogy.
Keep joining in with your ideas…
One of my favorite bible texts is Nehemiah 8:10 "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah said this in a specific context, but I believe is quite true for the Christian in any context. Focusing on the beauty in God's creation generates a continuing spirit of joy and gratitude that can be infectious. Looking for beauty in the actions of others is even better. An attitude of joy literally gives physical strength and builds the immune system.
In the spiritual life, joy is a buttress against temptation. It strengthens our outreach, because other are drawn to cheerful people.
I like this from Ellen White:
And then there's the last chapter in Steps to Christ, called "Rejoicing in the Lord." I hope you can take a few minutes to read and enjoy.
Since John's letter is a general letter and not addressed to any group in particular, all who read it will benefit from it.
John, addressing the believer and unbeliever, - “the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”, is being confirmed with the additional advise to check their believe, themselves, and their actions against this message which was given to John and them by Christ Jesus.
The newcommer to Christ Jesus' Faith/Gospel can find reason to believer His message right then when they read or hear it.
John points out the most important areas of Christ Jesus’ message to be understood correctly: Fellowship with God, and to be cleansed from all unrighteousness – 1John1:1-10KJV. But beyond this first chapter, the remaining chapters are additional help to highlight the importance of true understanding of the Gospel - "that your joy may be full!"
I read this passage as an admonition for the believer to check and find out if his walk of faith is right with God in the areas of fellowship and righteousness so - “that your joy may be full”!
In order for our ‘joy to be full’ we ought to understand the parameters of our believe correctly - that which we employ, act on in our daily life by faith.
I see the message/letter of 1John to be for clarification; helping to clarify the message of Christ Jesus and to remove all doubt regarding the evidence of their walk by faith or the relationship with the heavenly Father. All this examining is to be done in order ‘that our joy may be full’!
This letter is not only John’s personal testimony – it speaks of the Truth and Light of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. If anyone seeking after God’s Truth and Light is pointed to read, study, ask questions and talk about this letter, he/she will be able to fully understand the message of Christ Jesus. Its purpose, and its working of transformation of the life of the believer becomes clear and he/she can believe and follow its teachings.
A study and in-depth conversation of the book of 1.John with a believer or an unbeliever would be a blessing and profitable for all involved!
God sees the heart! He knows what we are completely! God wants to see us happy, because we are His sons and daughters! The enemy of God is the one who wants sadness and suffering for all... We might have moments of pain, but if we have a close relationship with the Father, He will always comfort us! And always save us from danger... the worst danger is to reject God's Spirit!
A military chaplain has a sign on his door. It says, “If you HAVE troubles, come and tell me about them. If you DON’T, come in and tell me how you do it!” Good point!
Listen to 1 Peter 1:6 (nlt): “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.”
I want you to notice the phrase “you have to endure many trials.” What kind of hardship was Peter talking about?
Peter is writing to believers who were going through very hard times. And those hard times were caused in large part because they were Christians. Peter is writing from Rome probably only a few months before the emperor Nero burned Rome to the ground and blamed the Christians. Paul was martyred during the aftermath of Rome’s burning. Followers of Jesus already were beginning to be singled for persecution. Persecution was not universal and it was not that every Christian got thrown to the lions. But some were, and at increasing frequency.
Whether or not we experience joy at any time, this should never determine our exercise of faith, which is based on God's promises, not our feelings. Joy may be experienced during a time of great trial, as with Paul and Silas in prison, for it will not always be limited to good times and/or worldly prosperity, but does result when confident and hopeful. The assurance of faith can result in this joyfulness under any circumstance. I can imagine Jesus experiencing this joy while on the cross when the dying thief said “Lord, remember me...!”, and the thief also upon hearing Jesus' reply, “you will be with Me in paradise”.
John was writing to share his experience with Jesus as a first-hand witness and long-time servant of the Lord. Today we receive joy from what John wrote centuries ago.
We will often have opportunity to cheer others by our own experience and witness as long as we experience this joy ourselves. We cannot share what we don't possess.
I was truly blessed and received a clearer understanding. Thank you, Inge and Phil, for your posts. God's Blessings to all.