Joni and Friends: Jesus is joy spilling over onto earth. The Savior is “joy-incarnate” splashing over heaven’s walls. Jesus swims in elation, and … He is driven to share that joy with us. I mean, He’s driven. Why? Jesus explains in John 15:11, “so that My joy may be in you.” Wow! Jesus has a goal and it’s to make His joy complete and mature in you. He wants you to be happy, to be glad, to be full of His joy. I mean, isn’t that great?!
Can it be? Could God really be that generous? Is He really heaven-bent on seeing us full of joy? Yes, He is, but there is a small catch. God only shares His joy on his terms, and those terms call for you and me to, in some measure, suffer as His beloved Son did while on earth. We may not understand His reasons, but we are insane to fight Him on this. He is in ecstasy beyond words. And it is worth anything to be his friend. . . . We can’t have the crown if we do not first bear the cross.
And that is why I'm so happy. If the reasons for my cross weren’t clear; if I didn’t understand God's goal for my sufferings; if I saw no purpose in the heartaches or hardships, then I would have every reason to be sad, but God has told me in His Word that there is a goal; there are reasons; there is a purpose. Because when I endure suffering without complaining, then and only then does God pour out His joy. The joy of the Lord…[is] a joy like nothing earth has to offer. God's joy is rock-solid and down deep, it’s constant and never fluctuating, it is powerful and strong enough to sustain me through anything. It doesn’t depend on circumstances, but my joy is “in the Lord” as scripture says time and again.
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