Daily Scripture Reading: John 15:11 KJV
John 15:11 KJV
(11) These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Today’s Devotional Is THE FRUIT of the SPIRIT JOY
Joy is a spontaneous experience. Like the carol of a lark, the joy of a child arises naturally when certain conditions are met. We must also understand the conditions Christ has set for us if we want to experience the joy He offers. If we are grafted into His true Vine, then there is nothing that can stop the flow of His love to our hearts. If we do what He commands and abstain from doing anything He forbids, then joy will flood in.
“Abide in me”–it infers, of course that we are in Christ. But it wasn’t always so. We were once outside, separated from Christ, “aliens” from the commonwealth Israel, “strangers from the covenants, without hope, and without God. We were the shoots of the wild vine, taking in its beauty, and being threatened by the axe that was at its roots. All of this has been changed now. We are now one with Christ because the Father, the Husbandman of His abundant graces and mercy, has removed us from the wild vine and grafted our hearts into the true. It is not necessary to stay in the place He has placed us when we are told to abide. It is like being in a lift, until you get out. You are on a road until you make a turn to the right or the left. Even though you might be too busy conversing with friends to notice the road, you will still remain in Christ, unless you deliberately, through sin or unbelief push yourself from His light into darkness. If the temptation is to abandon the truths of Christ and follow the ways of the world’s maxims, resist it. You will still be in Him. If you feel tempted to abandon the narrow path of Christ’s commandments in order to please your own desires, repent and continue to be in Him.
You will be able to trust Him and to understand His thoughts, and you will be able to ask for the things He loves. “Ye will ask whatever you want.” If we remove all obstacles to the indwelling Christ, His love will burst into song and we will share in His joy. It will stay in us and we will experience joy.
PRAYER for Today
O Thou, who art the True Vine! I want to abide in You, so that I can bear abundant fruit for Thy glory and my life is full of Thy joy. AMEN.