Enduring Joy

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

       There is an old adage that says, “Tell me who you run with and I will tell you who you are.” Relationships influence who we are in very intimate ways. Many choose who they connect with carefully because they recognize this fact.  John chapter 15 begins with an image of a vine, a vine dresser, and the branches that depend on both.  Every branch is evaluated on the evidence of its fruit.  The only way any branch can bear fruit is by maintaining a healthy connection to the vine. The vine dresser prunes the branches that have a healthy connection to the vine so they may bear more fruit. The implication is that the more fruit the healthier connection the branch has to the vine.  The essential message of this illustration is that your character is directly affected by the relationship you have with Jesus Christ. Those who have a strong relationship with Jesus have the kind of character that gives evidence of God’s goodness and greatness.

                These things that Jesus speaks of in John 15:1-10 are essential to living the life all people were meant to live because they are essential to being associated with him. I remember hearing a college student athlete explain that there were things he was not allowed to do if he wanted to be associated with his team. Expectations were set by the leadership of the team. Anyone who did not meet those expectations was denied the privilege of being a member of that team. The same is true with every company I have ever been employed with. 

                John 15:11 tells us that the commandments given by God were intended to produce complete enduring joy because they are an expression of God’s love for you. He desires to have a relationship with you!  Refusing to submit to God's authority will result in being denied the privileges of human existence. I hope that meditating on God’s eternal love for you will compel you to know him more and to live by his commandments. However, you must establish a relationship with God before you can commit yourself to living by his commandment to love others in a pure and selfless way. This is necessary because it is impossible to bear the fruit of Christian character without being connected to Jesus Christ. Walk with Jesus. Give him your life and he will satisfy.