The Joy of Yahweh

"His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’"    ~Matthew 25:23

We all know that this verse relates to our graduation to Heaven.  But like many verses in the Bible, this one can be taken both literally and symbolically, naturally and spiritually, personally and corporately.  God often inserts two meanings into what He says (Psalm 62:11).

See, we can enter into the joy of our Master know!  We may only experience a small measure of the joys of Heaven, but we can still experience Heaven on earth today.  And that's a prerequisite to our calling here and now.

"This day is holy to our Elohim. Do not grieve, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength."    

~Nehemiah 8:10

Living in Joy makes everything easier.  Hope gives us joy, and joy gives us strength from God!  I believe that the power of the Spirit actually gives tangible, physical strength and health.  There was a period of time last year where I was not eating a nutrient dense diet.  And every morning, when I went for a walk and sang to God, my legs became uncontrollably itchy.  They would tingle all over. I'd experienced that before--as a cyclist taking high-dose vitamin B tablets.  God was restoring my vitamins and minerals, and I felt it!  All this was possible because I made the effort of believing to enter His Joy.

Forgiveness, repentance, boldness--it's all made easier by joy.  If we have joy, our attempts to do things for God become a lot easier and a lot more fruitful.  Joy is restful because it increases our confidence in our Heavenly Father.

If we are in a state of really believing, then joy will be evident.  Remember that Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit convicts us of belief (John 16:8).  If we believe, then any thought about Jesus, any thought about His sacrifice, any thought about His plans for us will bring us joy! The reality of living in God has to become greater than anything else, so His Joy can our be our joy and His contentment our contentment.


What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2). “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

~Oswald Chambers