Manifested Love Pt 20: Obey Joyfully

John 15:11-13                        11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Romans 12:11-12                  11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Psalm 16:11                           11You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

In Western society, particularly American society, joy and obedience are words heard infrequently.  Americans tend to confuse joy with happiness, not realizing joy is a condition not at all related to one’s circumstances, and adherence to a universal standard is about as far as one can get from the American societal norm.  In fact, the disconnect between modern and ancient meanings of these words is so profound that we need to learn how to apply the original meaning.

My joy be in you

Earlier, the disciples had urged Jesus to get something to eat, but he responded in an unexpected way.

31Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.  (John 4:31-34)

Certainly Jesus ate.  He was fully human (as well as fully divine) and so had nourishment requirements just as do we.  But his main source of nourishment was not physical, but spiritual food.  You might ask, “What does nourishment have to do with joy?”  Just previously Jesus had been speaking about the vine and the branches; that he would supply the spiritual nourishment they would need as they began ministering to the world.  And further that any who loved him would follow his commands just as he showed his love of the Father by following his commands.  In the immediately preceding verses Jesus had cautioned the disciples to remain in his love just as he, Jesus, remained in his Father’s love.

Clearly there was something special about the spiritual nourishment Jesus received from his Father.  Is that spiritual nourishment available to us?  Certainly it is, because just before these verses Jesus said,

9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. (John 15:9)

This means the same love and nourishment available to Jesus is available to us.  When Jesus said he wanted his ‘joy to be in you’, he meant he wanted us to feel the same joy that he felt.  This is where joy and happiness diverge.  Jesus’ joy was not based on circumstances, but on relationship with his Father.  Humans tend to do the opposite:  We are happy when things are going right in our lives.  And by ‘right’ we usually mean ‘expected’ or ‘habitual’.    

Your joy may be complete

But certainly the disciples’ lives were not routine, or expected, or habitual.  Our lives are not that way either, and in fact I am the most structured and scheduled guy in my group of friends; yet my Father took pains to get me to pay attention to him by using a recent circumstance to bring me into greater intimacy with him.  (I broke my ankle, which got infected, and I was hospitalized for two months).  My point here is that while Jesus was fully obedient to his Father, the disciples (and us) are not fully obedient.  Yes, we are human and sinful, but guys, let’s not use that as an excuse.  Let’s not blame our sinful nature for our failure to do better.  All Jesus wants is for us to try.  You know what?  It is hard to be obedient to God.  But obedience is the way to the true joy Jesus felt.  There are many good things that come from obedience:  Increased fruit, answered prayers, and abiding in Jesus’ love.  When the Holy Spirit moves through our hand and we see healing manifested, when we see loved ones or strangers come to salvation through our counsel and prayer, when we see relationships and marriages healed, the joy one feels is beyond description.

Those manifested things are not real joy though.  When we are in intimate relationship with the Father through the Son we have real spiritual, eternal peace with God.  Jesus has said, “Abide in me.”  This means talking with him, trusting in him, depending upon him.  When that becomes ingrained in our soul, the struggles that come, while still real, are certainly less intense.  When I was in the depth of foot-related pain, there were dark moments when I despaired of ever getting past the struggle.  But He talked with me, sent friends to comfort me, and daily things began to get better. 

What about me?

So for each of us, it depends on who we will obey.  God?  The world?  My friend, I will never meet you, but if you are reading this then something is tugging at your heart saying, “There has got to be a better way!”  That is God asking you to turn away from the world and turn toward Him.  The world is attractive and enticing and most of our friends are fully engaged in it.  We want to be accepted and liked; so when our friends call us into the world system we find ourselves doing things we shouldn’t do and regretting them the next morning.

If you already know the Lord, then ask him to help you with your current struggle.  It is OK to yell, even swear.  God is a God of love and he already knows your struggle and your pain.  All you have to do is to seek his help.

If you haven’t yet accepted Jesus as your Savior, here is a sample prayer you can pray to him.  It is better to do with a believing friend, but if one is not available try this.

Lord Jesus, I need you.  Nothing is going right.  They say to ask You for salvation.  I know that I am a sinner and that I am in need of Your forgiveness.  Please help me to turn away from my old ways and to follow Your will for my life.  I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and that You rose again, and I ask You to be my Lord and my Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to grow in my faith.  I pray for Your guidance and Your protection as I seek to live a life that is pleasing to You.  Amen.