What is a more blessed subject than to read of the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ remaining in you that your joy might be full? Among "these things" that Jesus had spoken, we not only need to consider the first 10 verses of this chapter, but also what He had spoken in JOH 14:27: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." He is speaking of two types of peace. The peace He leaves us is that peace we have from the Father through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. "My peace" is the peace of mind, the perfect tranquility He had on the cross when He said, "Father forgive them they don't know what they are doing." He had no contention against those who had nailed Him to the cross. The world knows nothing of such a peace. Under no circumstances should we allow our hearts to be troubled. Under no circumstances should frustration take hold of us.

Where do you find the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ if you have a heart filled with frustration and worry about the things of this life? If the things of this world can distract you, then you do not understand the peace He leaves with you or the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Among these things about bearing fruit and obedience, He also spoke about love, sending the Comforter, and His peace, which lead to His joy. Do you have joy with a heart that is not filled with love? If your heart is filled with anxiety and your affections are set on the things of this world, you neither have the peace of Christ nor the joy.

JOH 15:7-10 says, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love."

He describes continuing in His love as keeping His Father's commandments. He brings us into a parallel with the relationship He has with His Father. We obtain His joy and peace by walking in His Spirit of unconditional, humble obedience. We abide in His love and peace and we enter into His joy. You cannot enter into His joy without entering into His peace. You cannot enter into His peace without having entered into His love. We see His love revealed in that He kept His Father's commandments and abode in His love.

What are the fruits of the Spirit? "Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith," as we see in GAL 5:22. Having spoken of His peace, which is the fruit of love (loving God with our heart, soul and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves), He now goes on to speak of the joy there is to be found in "our labor of love." The Lord wants to see love in our hearts. The Lord is jealous of these commands, and He watches carefully the attitude of our heart toward these commandments of love.

In 1TH 1:2-4 we read, "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father [see the connection between this labor of love and the call of the gospel]; Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." God our Father is looking on that labor of love, and that is where He is so delighted. He is looking for a response, a return on His labor of love. He is pointing out the connection between our labor of love and knowing our election of God. Do we want to know whether we are one of God's elect? Then we must examine our hearts for that labor of love. Do we understand what it means to enter into and abide in the love, peace and joy of Christ? If we do, then we will know our election of God.

What is our election of God? In 2TH 2:13 we read, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." Do we realize how important believing the truth is? When we hear people taking God's name in vain, using the word hell as a byword, do we really think they believe the truth of the solemnity of the wrath of God? No, they have no conception of what they are talking about.

The prophet Isaiah fell on his face to be in the presence of the Lord, and said, "Woe is me! for … I am a man of unclean lips." He understood what an awesome thing it is to come into the presence of God. What would it mean to come under His wrath and to think that a person would say that he believes the truth and can lightly speak of God's threats of hell, to think that a person could lightly esteem the salvation of God?

We are called, we are chosen unto sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. The Lord is eternally pleased with the love our Savior has commanded us to show unto His name, "that ye love one another, as I have loved you," as it says in JOH 15:12.

by Dr. Siby Chacko

Will we be partakers of Christ? We will fellowship in His sufferings, death, trials, and tribulations. We cannot be partakers of Christ if we sit with the audience upon the bleachers watching Him suffer. Being a partaker requires following in His footsteps and walking "by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

"For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end." We must not be presumptuous and say, "I am saved; I am a partaker of Christ." We must persevere. Our confidence must remain to the end.