You and I live in a fallen creation. Sin and death have entered the world. Everyone is born with a sinful, rebellious nature. But when you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, He creates you new with a new nature that desires to obey Him. But that old sin nature still remains and struggles to control you. Jesus understands your struggle. The night of His Last Supper, the night He was betrayed to be crucified for our sins, Jesus, the Man of Sorrow acquainted with grief, talked about joy. What is joy?

Joy = the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure

Jesus gives His reasons for joy

A dwelling place in the Father’s house is prepared for you – John 14:

¹ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

² In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Your prayers will be answered -John 14:

¹² Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

¹³ And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

¹⁴ If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

The Comforter will be given to you-John 14:

¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

¹⁸ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

You will live – John 14:

¹⁹ Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

You will be loved by Jesus and the Father and Jesus will show Himself to you -John 14:

²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

The Comforter will teach you – John 14:

²⁶ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Jesus gives you peace – John 14:

²⁷ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Your Father will be your Husbandman-John 15:

¹ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

² Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

You are clean – John 15:

³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

You will bring forth fruit by abiding in Jesus – John 15:

⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Jesus will change you – John 15:

⁷ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

⁸ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Jesus calls you ‘friend’ – John 15:

¹⁵ Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

You have been chosen and ordained by Jesus – John 15:

¹⁶ Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Your prayers will be answered – John 15:

¹⁶ Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Questions for reflection

1) Which of these reasons for joy matters most to you today? Why?

2) What specifically about these reasons for joy matters to you?

3) Which of these reasons for joy seems most abstract or absent from your life? Why?

Tell it to Jesus. He cares and loves you unconditionally with an everlasting love.

4) As you carefully read John 14-15, what additional reasons for joy do you find?

Jesus wants His joy to be in you – John 15:

¹¹ These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you with an everlasting, unconditional love; has uniquely designed  and created only one you; has a good plan for your life; runs with you; and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with your focus on His mission: to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti