“MAY THE GOD OF HOPE FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE.” —ROMANS 15:13
One of God’s purposes for your life is to be filled with joy. “These things I have spoken to you,” Jesus explained, “that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). Jesus made it clear that joy is part of His plan for our lives.
For the joy set before Him, the Bible says, Jesus endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus fulfilled the passion of His heart, the redemption of the human race. So great was His love, so powerful was His passion that He laid everything down.
He drank the bitter cup; He gave everything up for the passion that moved Him.
Jesus lived with a specific call on His life. He knew there would be pain. But he also knew that only in fulfilling His purpose would there be true joy.
Jesus didn’t try to do everything. He didn’t heal every person He met. He didn’t change the government or clean up the environment. He knew His purpose and focused on it.
When we try to meet every need, agree to every committee, attend every seminar or church service, we get overwhelmed with obligations and lose our effectiveness and our joy.
That was the beauty of the disciples’ lives as they followed Jesus. They had a mission. They had purpose. They didn’t worry about accomplishing it; they just focused on following Jesus, step by step, village to village, city to city, wherever He went. And they were filled with joy.
