Tag Archives: John 15:9-12

Enduring Joy

Our Highest Joy (Joy which brings Endurance )

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“If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments 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. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.[1]” Jesus

Jesus speaks of us having His joy, a quality of joy which is unaffected by circumstances, a joy which motivates and gives endurance. He wants us to have this complete joy.  Seems joy is more than a “nice to have” optional part of our lives. It’s something Jesus intends for us.

Jesus spoke the above words the night before His crucifixion.  Yet, even knowing what awaited Him, Jesus speaks of full joy. What’s the quality of His joy and how do we step into it?

 Joy Defined

As a noun, joy is defined as a feeling of extreme cheerfulness related to acquiring or expecting to acquire something good.[2] Others would argue that joy is not an emotion at all, but a deep attitude or belief which soothes even the most sorrowful situations. [3] These two aspects of joy seem contradictory, but we see both in what we read about the joy of Jesus.

The Joy of Jesus

Motivated by Joy

The writer of Hebrews says Jesus’ joy motivated Him to endure the cross:

Looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 ESV).

Jesus, in anticipation of something good (our redemption) had a deep joy which gave Him the strength to endure the cross.  His trust in God’s plan of our reconciliation motivated Him to bravely hold fast in the midst of excruciating[4] pain.

Question: When you think of the joy of being with Jesus forever, does it give you strength? Does your trust in this benefit motivate you to endure a difficulty you’re currently facing?

Joy in what pleases God

Luke writes that after the seventy two returned with joy after having been sent out two by two to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near, Jesus greatly rejoiced and praised the Lord. It gave Him great joy that what was happening was pleasing in His Father’s eyes.[5]

Jesus was full of joy and exceedingly glad to experience what pleased His Father God.  

Question:   What is happening around you now that is pleasing to God?

Spend a few moments rejoicing that your Loving Father is a Sovereign King whose greater purposes will not be thwarted.

Joy of Salvation

In Luke 15, beginning at verse 4, Jesus gives the parable of the lost sheep. He tells us of how the owner is full of joy when the sheep is found and urges others to rejoice with him.  Comparatively, Jesus speaks of the joy experienced in all of heaven when one sinner repents.

Salvation means obtaining the gift of the Holy Spirit now and being with God now and forever. Reasons for great joy.

Challenge: Spend a few minutes pondering the far reaching joys of your own salvation.  And don’t take for granted the salvation of those you love. Rejoice in salvation.

Receiving the Joy of Jesus?

Jesus wants us to have joy, His joy; the kind of joy which gives us the courage and motivation to endure life’s toughest challenges.

Jesus’ kind of joy comes from us loving others as He’s loved us.

Jesus’ kind of joy is tied to what pleases His Father.

Jesus’ kind of joy is full when a sinner repents and believes in the finished work of Christ for salvation.

Prayer

Lord, I want Your complete joy. I know You want me to have it. I know all difficulties fade in the joy and peace of Your nearness. You tell us our present sufferings are less than nothing compared to the glories to be revealed to us.[6] When I ponder the reality that You want me to share in Your joy, I can scarcely take it in. Lord, I desire the complete joy You intend for me to have.  I open my life to receive it. Teach me to obey Paul’s command to rejoice in You at all times.

Amen

And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10b ESV).

Previous posts in the series – Our Highest Joy:

Unmasking the Lie

Dealing with sadness and disappointment

Eternal Thanksgiving

.[1] John 15:10-12

[2] https://wikidiff.com/gladness/joy

[3] healthpsychology.org/is-there-a-relationship-between-happiness-and-joy

[4] Unbearable pain, literally “out of the cross”

[5] Luke 10:21-22

[6] Romans 8:18

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

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 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Delighting in God's love, God's Eternal Purposes, Orienting my life from Heaven

What in the World am I doing for Heaven’s Sake?

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“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;”  Philippians 3:20

Heavenly Minded

Recently I was re-minded that focusing on heaven is tremendously beneficial. Since, as believers in Jesus Christ, we’ve been raised up with Him and seated in heavenly places, orienting our lives from there can bring great comfort. In these troubled, unsteady times, we need a stable foothold.

When temporal trials bombard our souls, heaven can seem far away.  As we continue to fight through obstacles in our daily battles, how do we maintain an eternal perspective? How do we remain courageous and encourage those around us to do the same?

Embracing God’s Greater Story

One way to remain courageous when our hearts feel gloomy is to trust God’s higher purposes for our lives. He wants what’s best for us and our best doesn’t always include smooth, happy circumstances.

Jesus warned us about troubles in this life, but told us to take courage because He’s overcome the world.[1]

Even in extremely painful situations, we’re to trust. Jesus has promised never to leave us. The harder thing are, the deeper we cling to Him. He is our comfort. He’s entrusted us with each life situation. Nothing is a surprise to Him.  In our difficulties dependence can grow and idols can be surrendered.

Delighting in His Love

Another way to remain heavenly minded and to have an eternal affect on others is to trust and walk in the love of Christ.

God’s love for us, in Christ Jesus, is unchanging and beyond comprehension. When we feel rejected and unloved by people, the love of our Creator overshadows it all. Jesus tells us that He loves us as much as God the Father loves Him. He tells us to remain in His love by loving others as He’s loved us.  As this happens, His full joy is released in our lives. [2]

God’s love doesn’t fit in our minds. It’s everlasting[3] and beyond our knowledge.[4] Regardless of what’s coming against you right this moment, trust in God’s love for you. The love of Christ delights us like nothing on earth ever can.

Prayer

Lord,  since I’ve been raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places, I’m simultaneously positioned in two places. The more I orient my life from your purposes of conforming me to Christ, clarity grows. The more I trust in, rest in and delight in Your unchanging love, the more my heart is filled with Joy. Please help me be heavenly minded during the days of my life that I might be a blessing to all you bring my way.

Amen.

[1] John 16:33

[2] John 15:9-12

[3] Jeremiah 31:3

[4] Ephesians 3:14-19

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Rob Buck

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains

Declaring God's Truth, Delighting in God's love

Smell the Gardenias

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Jesus said to His disciples, “Come away by yourself to a lonely place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31 NASB) I’m trying to build a daily habit of being alone, sitting and listening. Elijah heard the Lord in the sound of a gentle breeze.[1] The Lord is always speaking. I’m to watch and listen.

What you’re  about to read is truth, though I don’t always feel it.

Delight

The Lord is here. Right now. There’s sweetness in His nearness; full joy in His presence.[2] He brings gladness to my hearts more than any worldly bounty.[3] The Lord delights in me.[4] He rejoices over me. I make His heart glad. He exults over me with loud singing.[5] I delight in Him and His love for me.

Present

NOW. Only at this present moment can a feel the wind in my face, smell the gardenias, sip my coffee and hear the fountain flowing. Only NOW can I see the vivid crimson cardinal fly in and perch, only feet away in a tree next to my chair on the deck. Only NOW are my senses active. NOW is a gift, a present. Sometimes I’m absent because my mind is elsewhere. When this happens, I miss out on so much.

As I go, I’m to watch and listen. God is always at work. I’m to present each person, each opportunity before His throne. May His will be done in every person’s life. May His Kingdom come in every situation.

Watch and listen. Follow Jesus. He did only what He saw His Father doing,[6] He desired only His Father’s will.[7]

Lead with Love

No matter how I feel, I’m to lead with love. Jesus said, “This is my command, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12 NASB) Sacrificial love. Considering the needs of others before my own.

Friends come by. They gladden my hearts. Their little daughter smiles. She smells a gardenia and marvels at the sweetness. But my friend cuts his finger. We’re not sure how bad. We scramble for a turnicid.

At urgent care. He’s okay. Five stitches.

The focus on loving our friend, gladdens my heart. Joy emerges when I take my eyes off of me.

Speaking of loving others, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (John 15:11 NASB)

 Lord, thank you for Your Word. Today I felt gloomy. Yet, you urged me on. You ushered me into Your truth despite how I felt. Thank you for loving me so much! I really can’t fathom  your delight in me. The fact that I make You glad blows my mind. Please teach me to delight on Your love for me. This alone should chases away the difficulties of this world. 

Thank you for the gift of your sweet presence. Teach me to always watch and listen. Thank you that our friend is okay.

Amen.

[1] I Kings 19:12

[2] Psalm 16:11

[3] Psalm 4:7

[4] Psalm 149:4a

[5] Zephaniah 3:17

[6] John 5:19

[7] John 5:30

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Complete Joy, Completely Loved

The Joy of Decreasing

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Before he was thrown into prison and beheaded, John the Baptizer spoke into a dispute his disciples were having. They were bothered by the fact that folks were going to Jesus to be baptized instead of them. John told them, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.”[1] He said, “I must decrease and He must increase” [2] He spoke of rejoicing and being full of joy in yielding his life to Jesus.[3]

As we yield our lives to the Lord, this frees us into the joy of caring for and focusing on others. In Philippians, Paul tells us to fight for the interest of others, to stop caring just for ourselves.[4] He says to pattern our lives after Jesus’ life, who emptied Himself and was obedient to the point of death on a cross.[5]

Then he writes, “But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me. (Philippians 2:17-18 NASB)

Being poured out – rejoicing and joy. We’re starting to see a pattern here.

In Romans 15, Paul challenges us not to live to please ourselves, but to patiently empower others.[6] He calls God a fountain of hope who fills us to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as we trust our lives to Him.[7]

There’s overwhelming evidence that self-promotion, self-glorification, self-serving and self-effort is the antithesis of joy. God is calling us to pour our efforts towards others. This means we must trust ourselves to His care.

 Before Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, John gives us a peek into His thoughts. “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.” (John 13:3-4 NASB)

Peter would deny Him and Judas would betray Him, yet Jesus washed all his disciples’ feet. He needed nothing from men. He trusted in His Father’s complete love. And this same love is available to us.

Jesus tells us, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:10-12 NIV)

Jesus tells us how to remain in the Lord’s love and how to complete our joy. As you might guess, it has to do with loving and caring for others.

 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. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:10-12 NIV)

Following Jesus’ example of trusting His Father’s complete love and loving others sacrificially fills us to the brim with the Joy of Jesus.

Joy doesn’t come from promoting ourselves. It comes from trusting, from yielding, from decreasing, from loving others because our life belongs to God.

The Kingdom of God flows in opposition to the world. The world says – look out for yourself, seek your happiness and you’ll be satisfied. Jesus says empty yourself and trust your Father with your well-being. Serve others sacrificially and your Joy will be complete.

[1] John 3:27b

[2] John 3:30

[3] John 3:29

[4] Philippians 2:3-4

[5] Philippians 2:5-8

[6] Romans 15:1-2 TPT

[7] Romans 15:13 TPT

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post once a week. Thank you for reading. 

Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Complete Joy

Joy is a Person

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I’ve been a joy seeker from an early age. As a child, before life’s troubles crusted my heart, I tasted joy: Christmas smells and lights, waking up to freshly fallen snow, strawberries from my grandfather’s garden, family vacations in Vermont.

These whiffs awakened desires for lasting joy built into me by my Creator. I went searching for more,  but  lost the scent along the way, traveling many wrong roads.

  • Lasting joy isn’t found in buying your first car or going on your first date in said car.
  • Lasting joy doesn’t happen when you leave home and go to college. Nor does it happen when you finally graduate.
  • Lasting joy doesn’t come from drugs, sex and rock and roll.
  • Lasting joy doesn’t come from pleasing people or accumulating possessions
  • Lasting joy doesn’t happen when you get married and have children of your own.
  • Lasting joy doesn’t come from trying to be a great  husband or father.
  • Lasting joy doesn’t happen when you’re successful in your career, when you pay downs debts and build up your 401K.
  • Lasting joy doesn’t come from trying to live a life free from troubles and striving after smooth circumstances.

God doesn’t want us settling for finite pleasures to fulfill our need for eternal joy. He made us for much more. As C.S. Lewis wrote, “It would seem that our Lord finds our desire not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday the sea. We are too far to easily pleased.”[1]

Joy isn’t automatically realized when you give your life to Christ and invite Him to indwell you by His Holy Spirit. But this is where the journey begins.

Wrong pursuits  of joy require painful redirection of passions, making room for more Jesus in our lives. He is Joy Personified.  “In Your Presence is Fullness of Joy;”[2]

On the night before He died, Jesus laid out in clear, unmistakable terms, our path to complete Joy:

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10 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. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.(John 15:9-12 NIV)

Verse 9 – A declaration of undeserved Love and a command to Remain

Verse 10 – A conditional for staying in the love of Jesus

Verse 12– A specific command, fulfilling the condition and becoming the true goal of every day

Verse 11– The astounding result of loving sacrificially – Complete Joy

Lord, help us receive Your love and give it away. How brilliant that the way we stay in Your love and experience Your Joy is by loving others the way you’ve loved us. This can only happen as we abide in You. Day by day guide us to those You want to love though us. Fill us with the Joy of Your presence as we love.

[1] The Weight of Glory, C.S.Lewis

[2] Psalm 16:11b NASB

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post once a week. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

The Joy of Serving, Trusting Christ with Us

Considering Others (The Joy of Being Poured Out)

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But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me. (Philippians 2:17-18)

I wish I always considered others first, but when I looked under the hood there’s still a whole lot of me going on. God has been working for a while now to pry my heartstrings free from putting my interests first. It’s taken very hard circumstances to realize life is not all about things working out nicely for me. God’s is showing me that His nearness is my good.[1] My job is to consider the needs of others and to love sacrificially.[2]

It’s a steamy summer mid-August morning. My glasses fog up as I walk out to our screened porch. Surprisingly, dried leaves already scatter the barnyard covering the scorched remains of winter rye. A hummingbird whizzes in for a drink and speeds away. As I write, a fan refreshes my face and blows across my hairless head.

All week the truths of Philippians two have rolled over and over in my heart. This chapter contradicts prevailing  entitlement sentiments which promise fulfilment and happiness from seeking what’s best for us. It calls us to a trusting, selfless attitude which frees us up to truly love others as Christ has loved us. I see four examples of this self-less love in the chapter.

Jesus demonstrated this attitude first for all of us to follow. Though He existed as God, He emptied Himself, becoming void, serving us  by dying to set us free.[3]

For a further look at Christ’s sacrifice for us, see I’m for Single Payer

Paul writes of his own desire to follow this sacrificial attitude of Christ. He says that even if his own life was being poured out as a drink offering for the Philippians, it would give him great joy.[4]

Timothy is genuinely concerned for the welfare of the Philippians, living out Christ’s desire to seek the interest of others.[5]

Epaphroditus  didn’t want the Philippians worried about his illness. He poured himself out to the point of death in service to them.[6]

I fry bacon and make BT toast (we’re out of lettuce) using a plumb ripe tomato from our friend’s garden. I drink milk out of a mug our daughter gave us, engraved with the word ‘Joy’.

I have a long way to go to follow in the steps of these four. But I’m seeing there’s freedom in selfless living. If I truly trust God has my best interest in mind, I’m less and less concerned about me and how life is working out.

I taste a savory bite of toast, slathered in mayonnaise. I feel very in the moment. I  sense  Christ’s nearness. He indwells me by His Holy Spirit. He’s closer than breathe. As I trust and abide, He’s teaching me the joy of loving others the way He’s loved me.[7]

When the world says ‘me’, ‘me’. The Lord tells us to trust Him. He’s taking care of us. We’re free to enJoy His nearness and to love others as He’s loved us.

Lord, please teach me how to begin each day trusting you have my best interest in mind, no matter what troubles I might face. Remind me of your complete, constant love. As I yield to you, show me how to love others. There’s great freedom and Joy in trusting and loving like You. 

For more on Joy in the midst of what life brings our way see The Lord is Our Portion, Our Exceeding Joy, Even When Life Crumbles.

[1] Psalm 73:28

[2] John 13:34-35

[3] Philippians 2:5-8

[4] Philippians 2:17-18

[5] Philippians 2:19-21

[6] Philippians 2:25-30

[7] John 15:9-12

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post once a week. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Trusting God through very hard times

God at Work (No Trespassing)

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB)

When I was younger, I had an idea of how I thought my life would turn out, or at least how I hoped it would. I expected good health, peaceful relationships and smooth circumstances. I figured things might turn out differently, but what I didn’t realize is how much I’d tied my sense of well being to how my life was going. As a result, when the inevitable, unexpected twists occurred, I found myself on shaky ground, searching for something lasting to fill my need for joy. Perhaps you can relate.

It’s a midspring morning. I take a sip of my favorite kind of coffee, strong and dark with a little bit of stevia and cream. I’m beginning to feel the sun’s warmth cutting through the new day coolness, but it’s not high enough to blaze over the leafy green canopy. There’s no break in the constant symphony of birds singing above and in the forest beyond.

I want to celebrate the new day with as much melodious joy as these birds, but I need to be sure I’m still trusting God in these unexpected paths my life has taken. I have no doubt He’s with me, but in one situation He’s erected a ‘God at Work’ sign and He wants me to honor it. He’ll invite me in when He’s ready. In the meantime, my job is ferocious prayer.

A neighbor, walking her dogs, sees me and walks down the driveway to chat. She asks about our new dog, Lily, rescued off the streets on Good Friday.

We talk about shade flowers and how my bride and I plan on adding some color to our water garden next to the porch.

When she leaves, I continue my preparation for the new day. Years ago, I would have denied the gravity of the very painful parts of life, feeling what I could, stuffing the rest and keeping on best I could. But now that I’m learning how to properly steward my feelings, I see how denying emotional pain desensitizes my heart and makes it hard for me to discern God’s nearness.

If I’m to truly rejoice with the birds, I need to rehearse the steps I believe God has given me to help me honor His ‘God at Work’ sign in this very hard situation.

  • Don’t try to pretend all is well. Acknowledge my life is different than I hoped. Accept the loss and feel the pain. Lord, I call You near in the depths of my grief. You’re the God of all Comfort. Sooth my pain with the Joy of Your presence.[1]Celebrate the fact that God has seen me through tough times and trust He will do it again in this situation. Lord, You’ve been so faithful through so many difficulties. Looking back, I certainly see how You’ve used these trials for me to give up trying to live life on my own and to trust You.[2] The eternal work You’ve done in my soul makes this very hard situation worth it. When it first began, I would have never thought this to be the case, but now my heart tells me it’s true. This very hard situation has strengthened me emotionally and spiritually to the point that it is actually worth it. Thank You Lord.
  • Catch myself in the act of feeling bad about what I can’t change. This is in the Lord’s hands. Decide to stop trying to figure things out. Lord, I trust You to invite me into this difficulty when You’re ready. I don’t want to thwart what You’re doing. In the meantime, I trust You’re at work in the lives of all involved in ways I may never understand.
  • Focus on the beautiful things on this side of the ‘God at Work’ sign. Even though this situation is one I never expected, it doesn’t make my life incomplete. It’s easy for me to feel like a failure, but in Christ, I am complete.[3] I died, and my life is now hidden with Christ in God.[4]  Lord, in You I’m okay, even if this situation is never resolved. I’m free to enjoy life’s moments with You in spite of, and in the midst of, any unexpected situation. 

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; (Psalm 73:28a NASB)

Lord, my heart is ready to be glad. In you, I rejoice always, even when life takes a turn which threatens my sense of well being. Through it all, my eyes are on You. My faith is growing because of this hard reality in ways I would have never thought possible.  I draw closer to You every day because of it. I don’t need this situation to work out to be okay.

You are enough.

My life is oriented from things above where I’m seated with You. My comfort is not the most important thing. Please continue Your work while I wait.

Lord, as I walk into this new day, show me who You want to love through me. Complete my joy as I love others as You’ve loved me, abiding always in Your love.[5]

Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.  (Isaiah 40:31 NASB)

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

[1] II Corinthians 1:3-5

[2] II Corinthians 1:8-9

[3] Colossians 2:9-10

[4] Colossians 3:3

[5] John 15:9-12

Eternal Joy, God's Greater Purposes

Done Trying to Fix Life? (Embrace God’s Greater Story)

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Lost in a Temporary World

Have you ever been so into watching a movie or TV series you forgot about the ‘real world’ for a while? I suppose that’s part of the appeal. For a period of time we can get so lost in what’s happening on the other side of a screen, we forget about the duties and challenges we’ll face when we’re done. Or maybe we’ll watch another episode.

First Thing Happiness 

In his book, A Different Kind of Happiness,[1] Larry Crabb awakens us to the fact that we’re all part of an eternal reality which supersedes what goes on before our eyes. This larger story, orchestrated by God, will not be thwarted. Crabb calls us to stop focusing on the temporary world and our endless pursuit of happiness. He calls this kind of circumstantial happiness – second thing happiness.

Rather he urges us to travel the narrow road of seeking what he calls first thing happiness or joy. First thing happiness is unaffected by how our lives are going because it flows from God’s larger story. He says loving like Jesus is what keeps us in the flow of God’s greater purposes.

“Loving like Jesus, self-sacrificially and not self protectively, produces first thing happiness.”[2]

Loving Like Jesus 

The night before He was crucified, Jesus demonstrated His love by washing the disciples’ feet, a duty typically done by the servants of the house. Jesus even washed the feet of Judas and Peter, whom He knew would betray and deny Him. Later that same night, He gave one command, which if we obey it, will keep us in His love and complete our joy.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 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. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you (John 15:9-12 NIV).

There are amazing facts in these verses:

  • Jesus loves us as much as God loves Him (Verse 9)
  • Jesus commands us to remain in His love, then he tells us how (Verse 9, 10,12)
  • Jesus says if we love others as He’s loved us, we’ll remain in His love (Verses 10,12)
  • Jesus says these things to give us His Joy and to make our joy complete (Verse 11)

In Summary 

If we love others sacrificially, as Jesus has loved us, we’ll experience His joy, a joy not based on circumstances, a joy fueled by His love.

Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2b NASB).

As Crabb puts it:[3]

  • Determine to walk life on the narrow road, not focusing on temporary happiness.
  • Live your life in the larger story of what God’s doing
  • Engage the battle for a better love, loving as Jesus has loved us
  • Look at life from above the sun, not from under the sun

The way Paul states this last point is: Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4 NASB).

See II Corinthian 4:16-18 for another great example of living in God’s larger story.

Personal Experience 

These rhythms of focusing on God’s eternal story and not being so concerned with my own happiness has been a real paradigm shift in my life. I have a long way to go, but the shift is gaining traction. What helps is when my focus and prayer of the day is, Lord, who do you want to love through me today?

Throughout these days I can be tempted to leave this focus and go back to fighting for smooth circumstances and pleasant moments. However, when, by the abiding Holy Spirit, I keep the duties as the second thing and focus on the people, the results are most encouraging.

Through this evolving process, trusting in God’s sovereignty and His greater purposes produces growing hope and joy, even during personal difficulties.

And, not having to fight for own my happiness is extremely freeing.

As this new journey on the narrow road unfolds, the duties are not the main thing, but the pathways to the people God wants to love through me. The difficulties bring me into the flow of God’s larger story of freeing every human heart to find satisfaction and contentment in Christ alone.

[1]Larry Crabb,  A Different Kind of Happiness (Baker Books, 2016)

[2] Ibid, p 21

[3] Ibid, p 222

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

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 Novels by the Author:

Rob Buck

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains

Rejoicing in Life's Moments

Quiddity. It Could Change Your Life.

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Rubbing Your Nose in it

I have a good friend named Ches who, when introduced to something new, will bring it to his nose to smell it. Until recently, I thought this quite odd, but now I’m seeing he may be on to something.

Surprised by Joy

I was introduced to the word “quiddity”  in the book, Surprised By Joy, C.S. Lewis’ autobiography. Of his friend, A. K. Hamilton Jenkins, Lewis wrote that he “seemed to be able to enjoy everything, even ugliness.”[1] From Jenkins’ example, Lewis learned to, “attempt total surrender to whatever atmosphere was offering at the moment; in a squalid town to seek out those places where it’s squalor rose to grimness and almost grandeur,”[2] He called this a “serious, yet gleeful determination to rub one’s nose in the very quiddity of each thing, to rejoice in its being (so magnificently) what it was.”[3] I need to tell Ches about this.

I don’t yet grasp the glee in all Lewis is referring to. However, the thought of fully appreciating something for what it is, even when unpleasant, awakens a longing within me.

As a side note, Lewis defined Joy as “the experience of an unsatisfied desire, which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.”[4] Quiddity awakens a desire within my soul.

What is Quiddity?

Quiddity is defined as, “the inherent nature or essence of something or someone.” More simply put, the “whatness” or “what it is.” [5]  Quiddity is the quality of what makes something or someone unique.

John Piper has been moved by the application of quiddity in his own life. He wrote, “To wake up in the morning and to be aware of the firmness of the mattress, the warmth of the sun’s rays, the sound of the clock ticking, the coldness of the wooden floor, the wetness of the water in the sink, the sheer being of things (quiddity as he called it). And not just to be aware but to wonder. To be amazed that the water is wet. It did not have to be wet. If there were no such thing as water, and one day someone showed it to you, you would simply be astonished.”[6]

I too want to appreciate what makes the people and things around me unique. Several benefits of this focus come to mind:

Accepting the Ugly and Unpleasant Parts of Life?

I’ve spent a life time running from and denying the hard parts of life. But these difficult aspects of my journey have played a major part in who I am today. The unpleasant parts of life have been used to prune my heart as I desire to be full of Joy, in the Lord, always. [7]

Lord, help me to fully embrace all moments of my life. Help me understand, that in your sovereignty, You allow me to experience all manner of people and things for your purposes. Teach me to embrace and cherish all you bring my way, the pleasant and unpleasant.

Keeping Me From Being Self Focused

Fully embracing my surroundings, appreciating the quiddity of all aspects of my journey, keeps me from worrying about me.  I’m complete, in Christ.[8] He’s unleashed me to be more fully present each moment.This is extremely freeing.

Lord, you’ve given me five senses to appreciate life’s moments. These senses are only active now. You’ve taken care of me. I don’t have to clutter my mind with regrets from the past or concerns for the future. Please keep me focused on the present and teach me how to fully appreciate the qualities of the people and objects you bring my way.

 Helping Me Love Others as Christ Has Loved Me

By appreciating and seeking to understand how God has uniquely made each person, I can more easily love them as Christ has loved me.

Lord, You’ve commanded me to love others as You’ve loved me.[9] You tell me that if I do this, I’ll remain in Your love and that You’ll make my Joy complete.[10]This is amazing. Please give me a full understanding of the essence and uniqueness of every person You bring my way, even those who seem unpleasant. I ask these things so that I might love them sacrificially, as You’ve loved me.

In Conclusion

I need to spend more time with Ches, learning how to rub my nose in the magic of what surrounds me.

 Lord, You know my desire to Rejoice in You always. Thank you for showing me about Quiddity. Please teach me how to keep my eyes off of me and on everything you bring my way. May my appreciation of my surroundings help me praise and worship You moment by moment. Amen.

[1] Surprised By Joy, Harcourt, p. 199

[2] Ibid, p. 199

[3] Ibid, p. 199

[4] Lessons from an Inconsolable Soul, John Piper, Desiring God 2010 Conference for Pastors

[5] Google Dictionary

[6] Lessons from an Inconsolable Soul, John Piper, Desiring God 2010 Conference for Pastors

[7] Philippians 4:4

[8] Colossians 2:10

[9] John 13:34

[10] John 15:9-12

Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Loved by God

Loving Others is More than Just a Nice Command

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A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35

All of Scripture can be summed up in Jesus’ new command to love others as He’s loved us. But He’s Lord. We’re not. How can this quality of love be our norm, especially in the midst of life’s ups and downs? When life gets tough, loving others isn’t always our top priority. Yet, as we’ll see, loving others as He’s loved us is the key to our own fulfillment and Joy.

We Love Because He First Loved Us

We love because He first loved us. I John 4:19

Us loving  others has to start with God’s love for us. He is the source of all love. Human love is impure and self serving. We’re to be branches, yielding the fruit of love from Jesus, our vine.

But when the fact of God’s amazing love is hidden from us, we operate on our own, seeking love from others as we love.

What Quality of Love

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! I John 3:1

We’ll never fully grasp the enormity of God’s love for us, but the more we hear the truth and seek His understanding, the more our heart begins to grasp it’s enormity.

Jesus tells us He loves us as much as the Father loves Him (John 15:9)

Paul says God’s love for us and His supernatural power at work within us, is beyond  comprehension. (Ephesians 3:19)

God’s love is completely unselfish. Jesus demonstrated it when he washed the feet of men who would deny and betray Him, Peter and Judas. Then hours later, he died for us all,  His enemies.

Use your imagination a moment to consider this quality of God’s love for you. By faith, recon it true. Against all which would say otherwise, rest in His love. Shame has been destroyed. Striving has ceased. You’re in Christ and He’s in you. Rest.

From His Love, We love

Have you ever tried to love in your own strength? I have. It didn’t turn out well. Human love expects something in return. When we love without knowing God’s love, our love is self serving. But even if we experienced the greatest human love, we’d be left us incomplete and wanting. Only the  love of God completes us.

Christ did the work and in His love we’re to remain. Ours is not to strive, but to abide.

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.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  John 15:9-12

Jesus tells us how much he loves and commands us to remain  in His endless, relentless love. And the way we stay in His love is by loving others.

From His Love Springs Complete Joy

The great cadence of receiving God’s love and giving it away keeps us in the love of Christ and gives us great joy.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11

Loving as Jesus has loved us, keeps us from needing anything from the world. We’re freed from circumstances,  success, the opinion of others and worldly peace. Loving others as Jesus loves us, completes our hearts and fills us to the brim and overflowing with God’s joy. Nothing remains for us to do but rejoice.

Why Knowing God’s love and Giving it Away is Harder than it Seems

Stay in God’s love. Love others sacrificially as we yield to His Indwelling Spirit. Rest in the complete joy of His presence and love.

It sounds easy, but we all know it’s not. That’s because our enemy knows he’s completely ineffective when we’re resting in Father God’s love. Keeping us from knowing God’s love is his primary goal.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, II Corinthians 10:3-5 

Our enemy specializes in raising speculations and lofty things to block us from the knowledge of God’s love. He deceives us into doubting God’s love and settling for the world’s “love” to try and satisfy our deep longings.

But remember this. When we call upon Him, God will fight for us and free us from the enemy’s lies.

Know therefore today that the Lord your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire.  Deuteronomy 9:3a

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for your incredible love for me. I thank you that you go before me, destroying all that would hide your love from me. I’m learning to rest in your love and it’s the sweetest place on earth. Please keep me from moving from your love. Help me to wait upon you as you go before me, destroying all speculations and lofty things which would hide your love from me.

Thank you

Home Remains – latest novel by the author