Joy

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John15:11NIV

And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah8:10NIV

A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good. John10:10NIV

The type of joy that comes from the peace that only God can give is ours as faithful servants. The Bible is full of references to the uplifting joy of the Lord, and we do well to remember this. The theme runs through the old and new testaments, so it is an important word for us to hear and obey.

There are those outside the family of God who want to rob you of this happiness, and we must not allow them to get a foothold. It would be a thief who would want to rob us of our positive outlook on life, and sadly there are thieves in the church too. Instead of emphasising and concentrating on the joy that salvation brings, they would want to point to the ‘prophets of doom’ which they see as more important than the joy itself.

You know the type. So and so is a false prophet, and a teacher from the devil, parading as a christian. Beware of him or her, they will lead you astray. They are dangerous and to be avoided at all costs. Disguised as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, they appear in such a way that you wouldn’t know you are being taken in. But it’s ok they say, I am here to keep you right, because I know who the good guys are and the bad ones too. Listen to me and I will keep you right because I have seen the evidence on the internet, based on the truth of the Scripture of course. If anything will rob your joy, it is this kind of thief.

When the authorities are training to spot a counterfeit, they check the genuine article over and over again until they know it completely. They do not round up every false copy and scrutinise them one by one. There are too many, so they concentrate their attention on the original, only and always. What a lesson. Maybe we should take less time to look for the fakes, and only and always scrutinise Jesus Christ the original. That way, our joy will never be in danger of being diminished or even stolen!