Would you like your JOY to be FULL?

He was a fisherman, the son of Zebedee, the brother of the Apostle James, and some scholars believe he was the son of Salome and cousin of Jesus.

(This is not John the Baptist as yours truly used to think when she first started reading the Bible).

The Savior had nicknamed this John and his brother the “sons of thunder” (which seems like a cousin thing to do 😉)

John had seen, heard and touched the Word of Life, God in human form, the Promised One—the Savior of the world.

John had spent three and a half years with Jesus in his earthly ministry . Can you imagine walking, talking, eating, laughing, and weeping with the Savior?

Can you imagine seeing Jesus do miracles, scoop up little children in His arms, and raise the dead?

Can you imagine being at the Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane? Can you imagine standing with Jesus’ mother, Mary, and looking up at your friend bleeding on the Cross?

John’s heart surely broke with the pounding of the nails, and the jeers of the soldiers, as the Messiah was nailed to the cross.

John was the one Jesus asked to care for His mom as a son. John’s ears heard the Savior say, as He died, “it is finished”!

Then later, after the resurrection, John famously outran Peter to see the empty tomb. (And recorded this win himself for all eternity in his gospel. Isn’t that just like a competitive man? 😂)

John was there when a resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples and walked through a wall.

And this letter, I John, are his words written so that our “joy may be full.” (I John 1:4)

Oh, don’t you want your JOY to be FULL? I sure do!

The Apostle John’s Holy Spirit-inspired words are encouragement and warning to Christians, then and now, so our joy may be full!

Let’s read them.
But let’s also heed them.

Let’s let the Word do it’s work in us—let’s apply these Holy Spirit words, breathed through John, to our lives each day, so our “joy may be full.”

Are you ready? Let’s study this powerful letter from the one who had seen, touched, and heard the Word of Life!

I covet your prayers as I study and write. I invite you to test everything I share by God’s Holy Word because there is only one infallible author. If you’d like to receive these devotions on email you can sign up at kimjaggers.com