Jesus: The Joy of the Journey (Part I)

This Biblical Meditation Will Refresh the Joy of Your Salvation, the joy of your journey and the ultimate joy in your future.

Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:3

But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” Hebrews 1:8

True and consistent “joy” is the will of God for every follower of Jesus Christ in these difficult days. God provides His salvation everywhere-in the wilderness, in the valley, on the mountain tops. Yet at times, a genuine experience of a prolonged flow of pure refreshing godly joy can seem so allusive…at least for me. You? Thankfully, spiritual “thirst and hunger” to know God is essential for entering His kingdom of joy.

According to the High Priest and Apostle (Heb.3:1) of our confession, joy is one of the most powerful weapons we have to fight the good fight of faith at the end of the age.  The High Priest and sacrificial Lamb of God, Jesus endured the cross for the joy of resurrection and the subsequent release of eternal salvation.  We must learn to drop the bucket of joy into the wells of endurance and salvation.   As the Apostle, He was sent by the Father to place His joy in us. Listen carefully to His private passion for His disciples to understand and personally receive His joy:

These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:11)

Truly, truly I say to you that you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy! Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one is going to take your joy away from you…Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. (John 16:20-24)

But now I am coming to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. (John 17:13)

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39)

Here are a few buckets of truth that keep “the new wine of joy” and the “oil of gladness” flowing out of the wellspring of our heart:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. (Rev.22:17)

• We must listen to and obey Jesus to find the path to His joy (John 15:11). Psalm 16:10-11, “You have made known to me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy and at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The extraordinary anointing of gladness Jesus walked under was because He loved to do what was right (Heb.1:8). Joy is the fruit of holiness which is rooted in the loving discipline of the Father (Heb.12:10).
• Jesus wants His joy to be “your joy”. (John 15:11) The joy is the resurrection of Jesus in the believer. It is His promise, stand on it and receive a fresh importation of pure joy. This water of eternal life is free and can be drawn from without cost (Rev.22:17)…we are saved by grace. Jesus did not come to make us miserable curmudgeons but living miraculous wonders filled with the joy of His salvation.
• Joy Matures Over Time: Joy can be an immediate surge of spiritual strength. However, joy can have a gestation process which matures like a child in the womb of its mother from conception to birth (John 16:20). The release of the joy of the Lord can take months or even years. “Consider it all joy…” when you are being stretched, pulled and pained in every way.
• Joy is an Eternal Spiritual Disposition: Grief is transitory but the heavenly joy of the Lord will endure forever (John 16:20) and will wipe away every tear. The Spirit of Jesus the Lord prophesies both “anguish” and “joy”. Weeping is necessary for the dark night of the soul, but fresh joy comes every morning to the people of God. Joy is a deep well of strength to draw from even when things are not going well. Joy is the atmosphere of the kingdom of God (Rom.14:17).
• Prayer Is the Irrigation Channel of Joy: The Mature overflowing Joy is the result of partnering with the Father through prayer in Jesus’ name. (John 16:24)
• All the Joy You Need is Already Inside of You: The overflow of the Holy Spirit is the joy of the Lord’s salvation meandering through a Christian into the world around him or her. (John 7:37-29)
• Spiritual Disciplines are the Drinking Cups of Salvation: Praying, singing, fellowship, giving, and serving can all be like cups of cold water to refresh others with God’s grace, strength and joy.
• Joy is Knowing God Knows You Better than Anyone Else: “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20). When the world, family, friends and enemies write us off…the God of all grace writes us in. Perhaps, the most difficult “spirits”to subject are personal. They taunt us with condemnation an overwhelming vague sense of disappointment. These spirits can focus on our shameful blackest choices, “you don’t belong, you are lost , you are damaged goods, your a loser, you are alone, nobody really cares about you”. However, we can simply silence these demonic voices in others and in ourselves with a joyful word or shout “I am a child of God bought with the price of Jesus blood and My Heavenly Father knows me and I’m on my way to heaven and I’m going to take as many people with me as I can.” The truth is the Father knows everything about us and lovingly chose us to include us. The deep joy does include the spiritual battles we win on behalf of others. Perhaps the deepest joy is released when the we recognize the joy of His victory in our own spirit.

In conclusion, Joy flows from the heart of Jesus and His completed work for our salvation on the cross, in the grace and through the resurrection. His joy dwells in us by His Spirit. The fruit of joy is cultivated through us in all things because nothing can separate us from the love of God.