The Fullness of Joy - First15 - August 8
The Fullness of Joy
Weekly Overview:
As children of the Most High God, we are to be marked by contagious, unceasing joy. Through the Holy Spirit we have access to an unending supply of joy that comes from the wellspring of restored relationship with our heavenly Father. God longs to fill us with his joy that we might live the abundant life Jesus died to give us. He longs to make us children fashioned in the image of our Father that we might share his unending joy to a world without hope. May you discover the greater portion of joy available to you through the Spirit as you encounter the heart of your Father this week.
Scripture:“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
Devotional:
By the grace of God, we have a beautiful inheritance of eternal and tangible relationship with our heavenly Father. Psalm 16:5-6 says, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” And later in verse 11 David writes, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
God has designated the beautiful inheritance of his presence for us. Israel knew what it was to center their gatherings around the presence of God. His presence guided them through the wilderness. His presence won battles for them. His presence was powerful in the Holy of Holies. God’s presence was the sign that he was with them and for them.
And Psalm 16:11 tells us that in the presence of God “there is fullness of joy.” Imagine what the fullness of joy looks and feels like. What would it be like to have a real encounter with the fullness of joy today? In the fullness of joy there is no sorrow, worry, doubt, or fear. In the fullness of joy there is abundant life, peace, freedom, and love.
Psalm 43:4 says, “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy.” Consistently encountering the presence of our heavenly Father is the sole source of “exceeding joy” on this earth. Only in spending time going to his altar will we experience the joy that is our portion. Only in his presence will the joy of the Lord truly become our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
Heavenly joy is an essential element to the Christian life. Joy isn’t something we are created to live without. It isn’t a pursuit secondary to other pursuits. Heavenly joy is a cornerstone on which we live lives that reflect the goodness, grace, love, and reality of our heavenly Father. Joy is meant to be the mouthpiece by which we declare how wonderful a relationship with God truly is.
In his book In Our Joy, John Piper writes, “But when God gives the radical change of new birth and repentance, Jesus himself becomes our supreme treasure.” Choose the better portion today of spending time encountering the fullness of joy that can only be found in the presence of God. Allow God to bring a radical change of new birth and repentance that positions Christ as your supreme treasure. And pursue heavenly joy today that you might demonstrate the surpassing kindness of your heavenly Father to a world that is desperately seeking what can only be found in restored relationship with him.
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on the fullness of joy available in the presence of God. Allow Scripture to stir up a desire to encounter the joy of the Lord today.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
“Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy.” Psalm 43:4
“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:5-6
2. Ask the Lord to reveal his nearness. God is never far from you. His presence is with you. He longs to make himself known. Simply rest in the truth of his nearness and allow him to reveal himself to you.
“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” Psalm 84:3
3. Ask God to guide you into the fullness of joy available in his presence. Ask him to fill you with abundant joy that you might live today declaring his goodness to the world around you.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
“But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” John 17:13
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11
I pray that as the bride of Christ we would grow in our knowledge of his nearness. I pray that we would walk in the fullness of relationship with our heavenly Father available to us on the earth. And I pray that we would grow in our reflection of God’s goodness to a world that longs to know him. May you pursue the presence of God with greater fervor as you go throughout your day. May you experience his nearness and live your life with the joy of the Lord as your strength.
Extended Reading: Psalm 16
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