HIS JOY
These things have I spoke unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
John 15:11
The joy of the Lord is not the natural exuberance of youth. It is not ordinary human enthusiasm. It is not the exhilaration caused by favorable happenings and circumstances. It is not the emotion whipped up by high-pressure hilarity. All these may have their place, but the joy Jesus gives is different. It outlasts youth. It is more than human, it is Divine. It is present, no matter what happens. It is not worked up, it comes down. It comes from a man of Sorrows acquainted with grief. It lasts, it remains. And it is full, not partial.
Because of our shallow living we know little of this joy, so we work hard trying to pump up a substitute. How much of our religious life today runs on the same stimulus that a cheer leader works up before a ball game! But it is a poor substitute, it has a hollow ring and it gives out when we need help most.
Make His joy your joy!