Pure JesusShembull

Jesus - Your Fullness and Fulfiller

Complete Joy

When I was young, my parents had this juicer that they used to make all sorts of (nasty) healthy juices. Every morning there would be two glasses for me. One had some fruit concoction, and the other would be carrot juice. I had no problem with the fruit juice. On the other hand, I could not stand the taste, smell, or consistency of the carrot juice. But every morning, I would drink both. Keeping God’s commands is like those juices. It’s always good for you, and sometimes it’s enjoyable and amazing. Other times, it’s hard to swallow. God’s commands are not about how much we do or don’t enjoy them. They are about bringing goodness to our lives. 

Jesus said, “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 these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:10-12 CSB)

There are two important elements in theses verses. The first is to keep His commands so that you remain in His love. Remaining in His love completes our joy. Jesus tells us that obeying His commands is not for His benefit, but for ours. You see, God doesn’t struggle with authority, whether He is obeyed or not. He is, and will remain, the ultimate authority. Keeping His commandments gives us the opportunity to relish and bask in His love. And when we’re in His love, our joy is completed. 

Now, what does a "completed joy" look like? That word joy in the Greek is chara. It’s the same word used when the wise men saw the star that foretold the coming of the Messiah. (Matthew 2:10) It’s the same word Jesus uses to describe how the angels feel when someone comes into the family of God! (Luke 15:10) Jesus also uses that word in contrasting how a  woman feels holding her newborn and the pains she went through minutes before. This kind of joy is delight, calmness, and gladness all wrapped up together. The word completed in the Greek is plēroō, which means…completed… filled up entirely, no room for anything else. This is what being in His love is like. You are so filled up with gladness, delight, and calmness that there’s no room for anything else in your life. 

Jesus doesn’t only offer that fullness and fulfillment for us. He commands us to be agents of His love. That's the second important element in these verses. “Love one another as I have loved you.” Obeying God’s commands serves a two-fold purpose. First, we obey His commands, to abide in His love, then our joy is completed. Second, because we are in His love and know His love, when we love others, they’re receiving God’s love, which allows them to have a glimpse of having their joy filled up.

Abiding in God’s love and loving others like God loves us are roads that leads to true fullness and fulfillment.

Prayer:

Lord, today, show me Your love. Allow me to soak up all the love that You have to offer so that my joy may be completed in You. Then give me the strength and courage to love others as You love me, so that their joy would also be completed and filled in You.