#54 The real joy

From Meditations on the Epistles of John, by Samuel Froehlich

(I John 1:4) "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."

With deepest feeling and from convincing experience, John shows us the way to that which all men would willingly possess, but which is nevertheless not to be found in this world except in God; namely, to a true and abiding joy in God and His Holy Spirit, for earthly joy is not of an eternal nature but vain and transient. Whoever drinks of this cloudy water will thirst again and never be filled. Christ however gives us everlasting living water as a continuous, inexhaustible fountain of joy, that we shall never, eternally, thirst again (John 4), for it is a part of the inner kingdom of God, but is to be found only where righteousness and peace prevail (Romans 14:17).

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

The real joy in the Holy Ghost lies in the continuous awareness and divine assurance that the righteous God is not only our God but at the same time our Father also in Christ and that we are His children and His heirs with Christ. This is such an unspeakably great and unsearchable deep mystery that, when we consider ourselves and understand that we are nothing, we cannot wonder and rejoice enough in the Spirit that God is thus mindful of us and visits us. Yes, for a little while, we have to be forsaken by God in order that He may crown us afterwards with everlasting glory and honor (Psalm 8; Hebrews 2).

But we must take heed that this fountain of joy be not stopped up; that is to say, this knowing God as our Father must not only inspire us with joy but with confidence and patience also, that we may be satisfied with the grace of God, even though an angel of Satan smite us and at the same time all other comforts and times of refreshing be withdrawn and wither on earth, for the Upper Wellspring can still never fail us, and so we continue to flourish and to be fruitful even when a year of drought comes (Jeremiah 17; I Corinthians 12). Be it affliction or consolation, we must be independent of every earthly spring, and the living God alone, as our Highest Good and Eternal Portion, must be sufficient for us (Psalm 73).

Satan, as our accuser, withstands us as though our faith and confidence in God were dependent upon our personal well—being and in order that this may be shown and proved, God is forced to strip us of every temporal comfort; and even if blow upon blow comes, God and His joy must ever remain unto us, to persuade us that He loves us and that He alone is wise, that He has the most perfect right to all things and still does not permit us to be tempted beyond our endurance, that there is nothing that can harm us or be taken from us that can be compared to the future glory: and if we cling firmly to God in trials and temptations of this kind, our faith shall be established as true and crowned like that of job, David and others (James 1:12; 5:11), for the very God Who lets us descend into this deep pit is mighty also to save us again out of it.

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."

"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."

So if we know from experience and have tasted how kind the Lord is, we shall also abide in Him and our joy will then be fulfilled.