Joy of Christ

     Quotations from the writings of Ellen G. White with the phrase . . .

                J O Y    O F    c h r i s t              (  2  RELATED  PHRASES )                       

       The  phrase  'joy of Christ'  appears  60  times in the published writings of EGW           See page on Original site          Related Phrase:   Christ's joy  (  )

   The joy of Christ is a pure, unalloyed cheerfulness. It is not a cheap gaiety, that leads to vanity of words or lightness of conduct. No, we are to have His joy, and His greatest joy was to see men obeying the truth.... Plead with God, saying, “I make an entire surrender. I give myself away to Thee.” Then be joyful. The Word is in you, purifying and cleansing your character. God does not want His children to go about with anxiety and sorrow expressed in their faces. He wants the lovely expression of His countenance to be revealed in every one of us who are partakers of the divine nature; for we have power to escape the corruptions of the world.... { OHC 148.4} 

 

 
  “If any man serve Me,” said Jesus, “let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.” All who have borne with Jesus the cross of sacrifice will be sharers with Him of His glory. It was the joy of Christ in His humiliation and pain that His disciples should be glorified with Him. They are the fruit of His self-sacrifice. The outworking in them of His own character and spirit is His reward, and will be His joy throughout eternity. This joy they share with Him as the fruit of their labor and sacrifice is seen in other hearts and lives. They are workers together with Christ, and the Father will honor them as He honors His Son. { DA 624.2} 

 

   It was the joy of Christ to save souls. Let this be your work and your joy. Perform all duties and make all sacrifices for Christ’s sake, and He will be your constant helper. Go straight forward where the voice of duty calls; let no seeming difficulties hinder you. Take up your God-given responsibilities, and as you bear your sometimes heavy burdens, do not ask, “Why idle stands my brother, no yoke upon him laid?” Do the duty nearest you, and do it thoroughly and well, not coveting praise, but working for the Master because you belong to Him.—  Southern Watchman, April 2, 1903. { ChS 110.3} 

 

  The joy of Christ was that of seeing souls saved in His glorious kingdom; and for this joy He “endured the cross, despising the shame.” But soon “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.” How happy will those be, who, having shared in His work, are permitted to share in His joy!—The Review and Herald, June 23, 1885. { CS 213.1} 

 

  Gorgeous apparel, fine singing, and instrumental music in the church do not call forth the songs of the angel choir. In the sight of God these things are like the branches of the unfruitful fig tree which bore nothing but pretentious leaves. Christ looks for fruit, for principles of goodness and sympathy and love. These are the principles of heaven, and when they are revealed in the lives of human beings, we may know that Christ is formed within, the hope and glory. A congregation may be the poorest in the land, without music or outward show, but if it possesses these principles, the members can sing, for the joy of Christ is in their souls, and this they can offer as a sweet oblation to God.—Manuscript 123, 1899. { Ev 511.3} 

 

  A strange indifference in reference to the salvation of souls seems to have taken possession of many professed Christians. Sinners may be perishing all around them, and they have no particular burden in the matter. Will Christ say to these indifferent ones, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord”?  The joy of Christ consists in seeing souls redeemed through the sacrifice He has made for them. { FE 51.1 } 

 

  Christ calls upon every one to consider. Make an honest reckoning. Put into one scale Jesus, which means eternal treasure, life, truth, heaven, and the joy of Christ in souls redeemed; put into the other every attraction the world can offer. Into one scale put the loss of your own soul, and the souls of those whom you might have been instrumental in saving; into the other, for yourself and for them, a life that measures with the life of God. Weigh for time and for eternity. While you are thus engaged, Christ speaks; “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” { MYP 130.1}

 

  But minds that are occupied with frivolous reading, with exciting stories, or with seeking after amusement do not dwell upon Christ and cannot rejoice in the fullness of His love. The mind that finds pleasure in foolish thoughts and trifling conversation is as destitute of the joy of Christ as were the hills of Gilboa of dew or rain.— Review and Herald, March 15, 1892. { 1MCP 315.1} 

 

  The Lord has given me a message for you, and not for you only, but also for other faithful souls who are troubled by doubts and fears regarding their acceptance by the Lord Jesus Christ. His word to you is, “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine” ( Isaiah 43:1). You desire to please the Lord, and you can do this by believing His promises. He is waiting to take you into a harbor of gracious experience, and He bids you, “Be still, and know that I am God” ( Psalm 46:10). You have had a time of unrest; but Jesus says to you, “Come unto Me, ... and I will give you rest” ( Matthew 11:28). The joy of Christ in the soul is worth everything. “Then are they glad,” because they are privileged to rest in the arms of everlasting love.—Lt 2, 1914 ( Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 516.) { 2MCP 640.1 } 

 

   The weight of the wrath of God will fall upon those who have misspent their time and served mammon instead of their Creator. If you live for God and heaven, pointing out the way of life to others, you will go onward and upward to higher and holier joys. You will be rewarded with the “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: ... enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” The joy of Christ was that of seeing souls redeemed and saved in His glorious kingdom. “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” { 4T 54.1} 

 

  Those who are obedient to the will of God will not have a hard and miserable time in this life. Hear again the words of Christ: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” ( verse 11). This is the witness which it is the privilege of all to have — the joy of Christ in the soul through appropriating the word of God ... and bringing the requirements of Christ into the practical life. There is full assurance of hope in believing every word of Christ, believing in Him, being united to Him by living faith. When this is his experience, the human being is no longer under the law, for the law no longer condemns his course of action.... { HP 144.4} 

 

  I long to express in my life service the joy of Christ. I long to be imbued with His Spirit, that I may be a blessing to others. We have the promise, “I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me” ( Jeremiah 32:39, 40). { TDG 116.4} 

 

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Related Information

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