Devotions Archive Archive: 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 Search Archive Print This Article Joy Thursday, May 6, 1999 John 15:6 Jesus says, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." Jesus' joy came not from his relationships with men (in this he was a "man of sorrows, acquainted with grief"), but in his relationship with God, whom he called Abba Father. So to give us his joy is to give us his ability to be with God. That's a priceless gift. The essence of this gift is not happiness or ecstasy, but peace and contentment. When I'm with God, there is nothing else I think I should be doing instead. I am filled and surrounded by him. My daughter Andi cherishes her cat. We found her in our toolshed last spring, a little black kitten with its tail half eaten or torn away. The vet removed the rest of her tail, and Andi named her Precious. Over the last year, Precious has also come to "cherish" Andi. On Saturday night she was lying in Andi's lap while we sat outside after dinner. Precious is pregnant, and we have been waiting for the kittens to come. When Margaret saw her body moving, she realized that she was having labor contractions. Andi put Precious in a box with some towels and went inside to get another towel. When we came back she already had her first kitten and was licking it clean. Precious was relaxed enough with Andi to begin her contractions. If Andi had held Precious five more minutes she would have given birth in her arms. And that's the kind of singleminded peacefulness that Jesus is offering to me. Thank you, Lord. Show me how to accept and keep your joy. "; Add      Edit    Delete