Why is Jesus the Joy of our desiring?

Jesus reveals to His disciples in John 14-17 the abundant blessings we receive if we keep His commandments and walk in His ways. He speaks of Love, Peace and Joy.

“He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.” (John 14: 21) “If anyone loves Me he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:23)

God is Love. Jesus spoke at length to His disciples of how He and the Father are one; and as they are one we, too, can be one with them, perfected in unity (John 17:23;21). We hear of Jesus being the door, the door to the Father; the door we can enter into and His Spirit will dwell in us and we in Him. As we dwell in Him, His Love and the Father’s Love dwell in us. We can “be still and know” and meditate upon that Love that we receive from God; and then how we can then share that Love in service to His will for us. As we align our will with God’s will for us we are able to exercise the right use of our will from the abundance that we receive from God and His Holy Spirit flowing through us.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:27)

The Peace of Christ is a peace that passes all human understanding, but we can dwell in that peace as we become still and meditate upon the receipt of His Peace, allowing it to fill us, to ground us. His Peace is that pillar of calm, steadiness that will stand in the midst of life’s ups and downs. His Peace is that retreat and sanctuary we can retreat into and be renewed and refreshed. His Peace is a Presence we can live, walk and be in day by day. His Peace is further fed by His Word and His Truth, His word is truth.

Jesus goes on to say, “These things I have spoken to you that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (John 15:11)

How is our joy made full then? Doesn’t joy come from a good roller coaster ride, or a new car, or a rush of adrenaline from extreme sports? Jesus speaks of a joy that is fulfilled in a way that is deeper than anything this world can even touch upon. Jesus is guiding us to know and enter into our spiritual nature that is greater than even the physical. And if our spiritual life is in Him, then He “fills up a  hunger that had always been denied” as Bob Dylan says on his Saved album. We may not even realize the deep inner desire that may be denied, perhaps we were even afraid to look within or sense it, for fear it would be a gaping abyss. As life throws us a curve ball, or our emotions get out of whack, or people ‘get under our skin’, we have the Love, the Peace and the Joy of Christ as a sanctuary within us to draw upon, to be refreshed by, to be filled with and ultimately to share and radiate out to others. But this is a gift to be received by walking in His ways. And since He gives us free will, we must choose Life, and Life Abundantly! We must choose to receive the Lord into our hearts and minds; to die to the old man as Paul says, put on the new self and be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Eph. 4:22-32; Col 3:1-17). In this way “we are made alive in Christ – a renewal in which there is no distinction between, Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised…but Christ is all, and in all.” The kingdom of God is within us. Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 6:19). But that inner sanctuary must be built upon daily as we enter in to know Jesus and the Father in the biblical sense of the word “know”. To enter in as a husband enters into a wife, so, spiritually, we must enter into Christ and the Father as one. He says to “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matt 7:7) If we receive the Spirit of Christ and the Father they will share their knowledge and wisdom with us as Paul speaks of to the Colossians, “having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2:2-3) Jesus tells us we are the light of the world (Matt.5:14) continuing v.16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”…if we walk in His tracks of righteousness and keep His commandments and receive His Love, Peace and Joy….then we, as Bach, will find that Jesus is the Joy of our desiring.

And, as Bach always did, Let all be to the glory of God!

For more read “Who Is Jesus Christ?”  the page (not post) under the tab heading ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring’; also on the sidebar on the home page.