Main Text:

“With joy, you will draw water from the well of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3)

1″I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5″I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9″As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:1-11)

Pertinent Questions:
1. Is Christian joy just a romantic imagination of a deluded mind?

No. In fact, I assert that it is worldly joy that is truly guilty of being a mere a romantic imagination. I say this for two reasons. First, those who have pored over the pattern of human thoughts and feelings know how temporal worldly joy and pleasures are. We often spend longer time pursuing this elusive joy than actually reveling in this joy itself. No worldly pleasure has ever been proposed by man to be the answer to everlasting joy. Even Olympic champions are known to fall into existential crisis and depression not long after their ecstatic moment of being world’s best. Second, the imagination of any form of worldly joy often exceeds the real experience of it. For example, a student may imagine in his mind how joyful he may be when he finishes his O levels. The imagination of this joy may be very intense, overwhelming, and perhaps so excruciating that when his exams are really over, he feels, “Well I, thought I’d feel much happier than this… The end of the exams doesn’t feel as joyful as I imagined”.

Christian joy is the very opposite of worldly joy. First, Christian joy always feels more intense when experienced, than when imagined. We often dread reading the bible and always imagine how boring and mundane a duty it is. Even so, you and I know how many times we drag ourselves to come face to face with the word of God, yet amazingly emerge more joyful and pleasured by the word than we imagined earlier. Second, Christian joy is founded on hope unshakeable, and a faithful and loving God who is immutable. The more one drinks of the knowledge of God, the more one enjoys Him.The Christian joy may not always seem ecstatic nor easily perceivable by a de-sensitized mind. Christian joy is more often a quiet, sustained joy that would anchor our hearts to satisfaction and constant praise for our God.

Therefore by comparison, Christian joy is very real. It is more real than we often estimate it to be.

2. Was joy meant to elude a Christian

No. Isa 12:3 did not say “Perhaps with joy”. It promises that as long as we are drawing and drinking from the well of salvation, we will draw and drink with joy. In fact, one of the evidence of true salvation is that we experience joy in the Lord.

3. Can a true Christian lose his joy momentarily?

Yes, recall Davidic psalms of sorrow when he sinned against the Lord. We lose our joy momentarily when we do not abide in the word of God (not obeying His commands), and not trust His promises that he has made to us through His word. .

4. What is the way to Christian joy?

John 15:10-11 tells us that if we obey His commands (the word of God) and abide by His word, our joy will be complete. But how does one know the commands of God unless one reads the word?! Key here is to know his commands and submit oneself to its authority in humble obedience. Our joy is often not complete because we stray from obeying His commands.

There is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious — C.S. Lewis