Joy

What makes you happy?  I know for me there are many things that I would say make me feel happy.  Chocolate, a good book, coffee.  Even people make me happy.  Like my wife saying she's proud of me or my daughter laughing at something silly I've done.

Now, for the real question.  What brings you joy?  You see, joy has a deeper meaning than happiness.  Happiness is just finding delight or pleasure in something, but joy - that's defined as keen elation, great satisfaction.  If you search the Bible for the word 'joy', you'll come up with so many results that you won't know what to do with them.  One of my favorites is Habakkuk 3:18, "yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."  We are called to find joy in the Lord.

I learned something new about joy this morning as I was reading in 1 John.  The fourth verse of the first chapter says this, "And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete."

I guess it would help to know the context. John is talking about the fact that he is an eye-witness to Jesus coming to earth to be our salvation.  He's proclaiming the eternal life that Jesus brings with Him for  us and how incredible fellowship is with Him.  He concludes by saying that he's writing all of that so that his joy will be complete.

Here's what blows my mind and, more specifically, what my take away for today is - I can have joy in the Lord all day long, but my joy is made complete when I tell other people about Him.  That joy is not finished growing in my heart unless I'm telling other people about Him and what He means to me.  Will my life still have meaning and purpose?  Yes, but it will not be completely fulfilled, because part of my calling, my purpose, God's plan for my life is to share his love.  I'm created to share the hope that I've found in Him with the people all over the world who don't know that precious, life-giving joy.

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations..."

What are you doing to make your joy complete?