In an earlier devotion (August 23rd) we explored the relationship between joy and suffering in the life of a Christian. We showed that a Christian, that is walking in the will of God, can truly experience joy while going though suffering.
In today’s devotion we will explore the relationship between joy and truth. There is a marvelous verse that will serve as my main talking point for the relationship between joy and truth and it is found in (3 John 4): “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” In this verse John says that his greatest joy is to hear that his children (Christians) are walking in the truth.
Truth is a wonderful concept especially in a world that often is living in darkness and sin. Jesus says in (John 14:6): “I am the way and the truth and the life.” In a world with so many competing worldviews only the Christian worldview offers us any hope for knowing the truth. Jesus is the only truth that brings real joy, peace, and meaning in a world that is desperate to experience all three of these precious commodities. To walk in the truth means that we are walking with Jesus and doing His will. This not only brings us enormous joy to know that we are pleasing the Father, but it should also bring us great joy to know that other Christians are also living and experiencing the life changing power of Jesus.
If you genuinely love and care for someone the thing that should bring you the greatest joy is to know that others have found real joy, peace, and meaning in life. In addition to know that when they die, they will experience great joy and bliss in heaven forever should bring even added joy to us.
Jesus is the only one who can deliver true satisfaction in this life since He is the only real source of absolute truth in a world that desperately is groping in the dark to find what life is all about. Money, fame, sex, and power are nice things to have and experience, but they never can satisfy a soul that was created to have a personal relationship with Jesus. In the end these things promise a lot, but never really deliver what we think they will bring us.
True joy is not just a feeling it is in its deepest sense knowing that we are doing things that are pleasing to God. Thus, we should expect real joy whenever we are being obedient to God. In addition, our joy should overflow when we see others walking in the will of God. Another way of putting this is that joy and truth really mean joy and Jesus. Knowing Jesus means knowing the truth and knowing the truth means knowing that we will be able to experience real satisfaction in this life and in the life to come!