The dictionary defines joy as: A condition of feeling of high pleasure or delight; happiness; gladness.

What Jesus knew that His disciples did not know in the hours ahead: He would be betrayed, arrested, tried and crucified. This would be a time of devastation and depression for these men.

What Jesus knew which His disciples did not know about the next three days: He would die, be buried, and be raised to physical life after three days in the grave. In this fact His disciples would know joy beyond their comprehension.

(NASB) John 16:22 “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”

Jesus”™ followers then and Jesus”™ followers today face derision, persecutions, interrogations, imprisonment, torture and death ““ but Jesus promised that “no one will take your joy away from you.”

How can this be? Doesn”™t it, at least partially, depend on where our focus is as the followers of Christ? If our focus is on power, position, personality, pennies, pounds, or pesos ““ all of this can be taken away!

No matter the social/cultural upheavals that are taking place in the world today ““ as followers of Christ we can REJOICE! We have high pleasure and delight in the fact that no one can take away our joy of knowing the risen Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. He is the Eternal, Living, Unchanging God.

(NIV) Psalm 28:6-7 “Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.

7The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”