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Joy and Gladness
Andrea Lende • July 30, 2021
John 15:11
Joy and Gladness
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Joy-and-Gladness-e1576sj
John 15:11
“I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing.”
Joy and gladness sound wonderful.
Especially in today’s world where there seems to be a shortage of both.
Jesus tells us we will experience these things fully, completely, and to overflowing.
How does this happen?
He spent ten previous verses telling His disciples how.
First, He said He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that bears fruit.
He told them we are cleansed and pruned by His Word and His teachings.
Second, He tells us to dwell in Him, and then He will dwell in us.
He said there is no branch that can survive without being united to the vine.
We know that if a flower is separated from its plant, it will soon die.
He is the Vine to Whom we need to stay connected.
And if we do, we will bear abundant fruit.
Then He blows our minds.
He said if we abide in Him then we can ask for whatever we desire, and He will make it come to pass.
When we are united with Him, then His desires become our desires.
He will most assuredly grant us these desires.
He is like any other loving Father Who wants to bless His children.
He will grant us even more than we can imagine.
And like any loving Father, there are things which are not good for us that He will keep from us.
Lastly, He tells us if we keep his commandments, we will abide in His love.
This is where true joy and gladness comes – experiencing His love.
As we experience His love, He puts joy in hearts where there was none.
He puts gladness in our souls where there was once despair.
I am thankful we serve a Mighty God Who lives in us as we allow Him to fill our souls.
Today I choose to fully receive the Lord’s Spirit in mine, so I remain in His constant care.
May you find the Lord fills you with joy and happiness because He lives in you.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me where true joy comes from. Thank You for showing me my joy is made complete by and in You. Help me stay close to You Father and be obedient to You. Help me look to You to make me whole and complete. Keep me seeking You. Keep me following You. Do not let me fight against Your goodness and Your love. Help me fully receive Your love, Father. Help me give up any shame I have of falling short, because it keeps me from You. May I sit with You and soak in Your warmth, peace, grace, and wisdom for a few precious moments today. Lead and guide all that I do, Lord. Help me bless someone this day. Thank you for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I abide in you as you abide in Me My child and I lead you to all good things.
Response: Help me stay close to You as You teach me more about how to live according to Your will.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.