Did you know that Jesus is joyful? Picture the most joyous person you know. Now envision Jesus. Do they resemble each other? They should – because no one can top the joy in Jesus’ cup. He is the author and the embodiment of joy.
Examine these verses:
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2, BSB, emphasis mine)
“Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" (Nehemiah 8:10b, NLT, emphasis mine)
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11, ESV, emphasis mine)
What enabled Jesus to endure such horrible suffering in order to save us? His joy.
Where do we get our strength? From the Lord’s joy.
In God’s presence, what do we find? Fullness of joy.
I encourage you to ruminate on these verses, as well as other Scriptures speaking of joy.
What kind of joy must our Father have?
If Jesus’ joy carried Him through His crucifixion, it must be life-saving.
If we draw strength from Daddy’s joy, then His joy must be strong.
If fullness of joy is found in His presence, then He must be consumed by joy – for how could we receive full joy from Someone who isn’t fully joyful?
It’s one thing to accept this truth – the joy of Jesus – in your head. It’s another to know it in your heart. This kind of knowledge comes through relationship and encounter.
I remember the first time I saw Jesus. During my second semester at Christ For The Nations Institute, I was lying in bed for a few minutes after classes and said to Jesus, “I can’t wait to see You face-to-face one day!”
He responded, “You can see Me now. Do you want to?”
Of course, I said yes. I closed my eyes, breathed in, and in a moment, found myself standing before the face of my King.
His eyes were the most real, fantastic, dazzling blue I’d ever seen. They sparkled with joy and excitement, like a breathless groom when he first sees his bride.
I saw the love He has for me in His eyes. I witnessed His overflowing joy.
This vision, this memory, is forever a part of me. And it’s not the only one. Entering secret places with my Jesus is one of my favorite ways to interact with Him now. I’ve experienced deep healing, settling peace, and humbling clarity standing face-to-face with my Father.
Today, when I gaze into Jesus’ eyes, they still shine with joy. Whenever I dare to peer deeply into His baby blues, I always find overflowing love coupled with bubbling joy.
When Jesus gazes upon you, He does so with love and with joy.
You are the joy set before Him. Yours is the heart He has always been chasing after. You are the one who makes Him smile, and laugh, and sing. You are the object of His affection and the recipient of His joy.
Is it any wonder that we are called to live in joy? The One who created joy has created you for it. As children of the King, we are meant to carry joy too.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV)
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11, NIV)
The heart of our joyful Father is that we would have abundant, overflowing joy. That sounds great, doesn’t it? But how do we have joy in a world filled with stress, brokenness, and strife? When everything seems to be falling apart, how do we hold onto joy?
The answer is simple, though not always easy: run again and again to Jesus, the author, the source, the wellspring of your joy. If you place your joy in the Joyful Joy-Giver, allowing roots to grow deep into Who He is, then your life’s circumstances will never be able to detract from your joy.
Let Jesus be the source of your joy. Let the Joyful One be the answer to your heart’s needs. Choose to pursue the One who created joy – as you do, you’ll find yours.
*As a note, the way I see Jesus isn’t the only way to see Him. When I look at Him, I see blue eyes – but that’s how He shows Himself to me. How He reveals Himself to you will be different because He is a unique, one-of-a-kind, relational Lover. So ask Him to open your eyes to see Him, and know that when you do, it doesn’t have to be (and in fact, shouldn’t be) with anyone else’s lens.
Comments