For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17
The so-called modern/post-modern world is hostile toward the gospel of Jesus Christ. Portions of the so called church, in a misguided effort to appeal to a hostile world, water down the gospel to the point it is no longer good news. Christians must confront the world with the truth of Jesus Christ the Savior. The gospel is a person, Jesus Christ. God’s Holy Word is His chosen avenue for revealing His Son to us. I encourage everyone to begin a daily plan to read the Bible.
So let’s get to the point of explaining the name of this blog, That Your Joy May Be Full. That phrase is taken from John 15:11 and I John 1:4. Jesus and John are saying that when we receive the living Gospel of Christ, we receive joy and as we abide and grow in the Gospel of Christ, our joy becomes full. My experience has been as I meditate and reflect upon the Gospel, God builds more and more of His kingdom within me. And life becomes a more satisfying, mysterious, wonderful gift. From time to time the joy almost overwhelms me.
As I try to write about life in Christ, I discover that it is difficult to express what I have come to understand as the truth of the Gospel without resorting to terms and doctrines not yet fully explained. But conveying the meaning behind those terms and doctrines is best done by explaining them in context. So be patient and hopefully the meanings I am trying to communicate will be understood in time. Every Christian who speaks or writes about the gospel depends on the work of the Holy Spirit to bring His truth to life in the hearer or reader. That He reveals Himself and His truth to you is my ultimate hope for this blog.
I have no illusions of instructing anyone in the things of God. Rather, my hope is that my sharing of understandings of God’s word that I have received while reading, praying, living and fellowshipping will encourage you to dive deeper into your life in the living God through Jesus Christ.
Joy is a promise of God. We don’t manufacture that joy. It is a gift of God in the person of Jesus Christ. He loves you.
