The Joy ~ That none can take away

Happiness

• Happiness isn’t a simple declaration of “I am happy, and I will always be happy.” Instead, it’s often linked to specific aspects of our lives. We say things like “I am happy about my job” or “I am happy about my marriage.” We tend to believe that happiness is something external that we receive, making it vulnerable to fluctuations when circumstances change.
• But true happiness isn’t merely the absence of sorrow; it’s the radiant expression of joy on your face. As Proverbs 15:13 wisely states, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” It’s not enough to show happiness for a moment; you need to cultivate a happiness within your heart that’s resilient and unshakable.
• So, what is this enduring joy that we seek? Let’s explore it together.

The Incomplete Joy of the World

• If you tether your happiness to worldly possessions and circumstances, you’re essentially betting your joy on a perfect, uninterrupted life. This attachment leaves you in constant worry about the future, fearing that something might go awry. Your happiness, in this scenario, remains perpetually incomplete, always hanging by a fragile thread.
• Consider the words of James 4:9: “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.” This bleak transformation is the price we pay when our happiness is entangled with the fleeting and uncertain world. One moment, we feel on top of the world, and the next, we mourn for the very same reasons.
• In Matthew 6:21, it’s wisely noted: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What, then, is your true treasure? Everything you possess in this world is a gift from the divine, entrusted to you with the purpose of doing good. The admonition is clear: do not let your heart become consumed by these earthly possessions. While you’re free to enjoy the fruits of your labor, avoid shackling your happiness to them.
• Consider the profound insight of John 12:24: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” In relinquishing your desires for the transitory pleasures of the world, you open the door to discovering the boundless joy found in the embrace of the divine.

Embrace the Power of the Word and the Boundless Joy it Offers

• In the depths of our hearts, we discover an incredible truth – a truth that transcends time and space. In the book of John 17:8, we are reminded of the profound connection we share with the divine: “For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.” This is the foundation of our faith, the very essence of our existence.
• When we accept the word into our hearts, an unparalleled joy floods our souls, a joy so profound that no one can ever snatch it away from us. 1 Peter 1:8 reinforces this truth: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” This joy is not ordinary; it is born of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Indeed, the word is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ, and the joy we experience is intimately tied to our salvation. Our names are etched in the heavenly realm, as proclaimed in Luke 10:20: “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” This is the promise that wipes away all mourning, as Revelation 21:4 declares: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
• Moreover, our eternal destiny is sealed through the Tree of Life, which was once forbidden due to the original sin. Revelation 2:7 tells us, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” We are destined for everlasting life in the embrace of our Creator.

Let this profound hope in our Lord Jesus Christ fill your heart with joy and resilience. As Romans 12:12 reminds us, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” The word, the joy, and the promise of eternal life are yours to cherish and share. Embrace this truth, and may it illuminate your path, bringing boundless joy and unwavering hope to your life.

Discover the Path to True and Complete Joy

• In the journey of faith, we learn that acceptance is the first step towards experiencing joy. However, our joy reaches its pinnacle when we wholeheartedly follow His divine commands. As beautifully stated in John 15:9-13, “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. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
• Love is the key that unlocks the gates to complete joy. His command to love one another is not just a suggestion; it is the very essence of His teachings. By obeying this singular command, our joy is magnified beyond measure. It is in the act of selfless love that our souls find the truest fulfillment.
• Yet, we are cautioned by the parable in Matthew 13:20-21, which speaks of the seed falling on rocky ground. These are the souls that hear the word and receive it with initial joy but, lacking roots, wither away when faced with trials and tribulations. Let us not be like that fleeting seed, entrapped by worldly desires.
• Instead, let us be the seeds that fall upon fertile soil, hearts and minds deeply rooted in faith. By faithfully following His commands, we ensure that our joy remains steadfast, unshaken by the storms of life. Our joy, nurtured by love and obedience, becomes an everlasting wellspring, offering solace and strength even in the face of adversity.
• So, my dear friends, let us embrace His command to love as our guiding light, and in doing so, find the complete and enduring joy our souls yearn for. In this journey of faith, let us be the bearers of His love and the keepers of His commands, and watch as our joy blossoms into an unending symphony of fulfillment and grace.

 

Love

• Love is not something you receive but you give. Love is one kind of magical tree that will grow inside you whenever you give love to others. When you are giving love actually you are receiving it from yourself. How to give love? “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
• This is the great definition for Love, it is the love you have to give to everyone, not just with those who love you but to everyone, as God says Love all. This is the kind of Love we should give.
• “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.” – Romans 15:1-2

The seed of love

• For all the fruit of the spirits there is only one formula, when we accept the Lord Jesus, we will be planted with the seeds of the each fruit, thus Love will also be planted as a seed inside our heart. And there is only one formula to make these seeds grow, “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” – Matthew 13:12.
• Thus whoever has given love, will be given more love. If you are like the seed that fell on good soil you will use what is given to you and will produce much more crops than what was sown. “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” – Matthew 13:8
• He loves us that’s why he called us, none can take away the love the Lord have for us. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:35, 38-39. This is the kind of love God gives us.

Giving Love

• “Freely you have received; freely give.” – Matthew 10:8. “We love because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19
• We received Love freely from our Lord, thus we should freely give this Love to others. For the Lord’s Love he says he will not remember our wrong doing, and will not be easily angered with us but will be patient and kind to us, in the same way we have to give.
• Here is the algorithm for giving Love
• Step 1: Accept the Lord and receive his Love by declaring it with your mouth.
• Step 2: Love the Lord, always trust God, always hopes, always perseveres, rejoice with the truth.
• Step 3: Give this Love to yourself first, because it is written , ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ – Matthew 22:39, so you have to love yourself first to give that love to others
• Step 4: Apply the characteristics of love to all and remember that all includes you too.

Step 1: Accept theLord 

• “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” – Romans 10:9-13

Step 2: Love the Lord 

• “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” – Deuteronomy 6:5
• We should give love to our Lord, always trust his will, be patient in your trials, be hopeful about the salvation.
• To check whether you are loving God with all your heart, soul and strength there is one measurement is given, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18. So test yourself, how much fear you have for the things in this world that much you are lagging. Fear for him alone.

Declare the promises to cast away fear

• ““If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire.” – 2 Samuel 23:5. This is one of the final words of Kind David, we can understand how much he would have afraid of the salvation on his dead bed, he too sinned, and got punishment from God, yet he says his house were right with God it’s because of the Love he had on God that he received from the God first, he casted those fears about his salvation away by declaring the promises the Lord gave him, this way he makes his love for the Lord perfect.

Step 3: Love yourself

• Easy to say but might be hard for some, devil will try to make you hate yourself, he will make you feel inferior by your appearance, your sins, things you possess in this world.
• First your appearance doesn’t matter, God created you this way because he thought you are perfect in this way to do his will. Who can comment on the things that the Lord said perfect? None, including you. Outer beauty doesn’t matter but the inner is what matters. “Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” – Matthew 23:26
• Next your sins, devil will come to you to make you feel guilt and will not let you receive the Lord’s love. But we have already seen this in the Light, when we repent our sins we will be clean again and the Lord will not even remember those sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9. Your sin will try to take away the joy about your salvation. So you don’t have to feel guilt about your past, as the Lord said he forgot it, change your guilt into love for the Lord by repenting. “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” – Luke 7:47
• Things you possess in this world are temporary and they are not your treasures, enjoy with the things you possess in this world “Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.” – Ecclesiastes 5:19, and give equally to everyone who asks. Enjoy with it but don’t love it, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” – Ecclesiastes 5:10

Enjoy the wealth 

• Not all will have the ability to enjoy the wealth they possess, “I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil. A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?” – Ecclesiastes 6:1-3, 12
• So thanks for the Lord that he gave you ability to enjoy, thus never spend your whole day working for your tomorrow, always work for today to enjoy the wealth you gained today. But when anyone asks you give to them, give everyone equally.
• “If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”” – 1 Corinthians 15:32-33, in your enjoyment it will be more tempting to you to love those possess, remember your possession is not for your happiness but for your comfort God gave you so use it and also allow anyone who is need also to use it. Fear him, “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”” – Romans 9:15. So don’t misled, but with the thanksgiving heart enjoy the wealth given to you, as he has mercy on you.

Step 4: Love all

• “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:9-21
• I don’t need to add anymore to it as this word covers most of the scenario we might go wrong. Each scenario is important, your Love must be like the above described way. If it is not like that, then change yourself. As like Lord’s love for us, neither trouble nor hardship, neither persecution nor famine, nor nakedness, neither danger nor sword, neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, take you from the giving the love for each other. Always be patient, be kind, humble, and use of the giving love things, and don’t pick anything from non giving love list.

Favoritism

• “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” – James 2:8-10
• In the process of giving love, we should give equally to everyone, thus you should treat everyone with kindness, “Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.” – Proverbs 11:17. How you treat others is what you going to receive in your heart, it’s not like it will come to you from other but from yourself. The moment you lost patience and acted cruel all the love inside you will be taken away. Try to be patient and kind to everyone, without envy, boasting and all other not giving love thing.
• So without showing favours, be patient and kind to all, not just to those who love you, but also to you enemy and even to the strangers you meet.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” –2 Corinthians 13:11

Peace be with you

~ Dhivya