Jesus left His followers His peace and joy!  He LEFT THEM with them (us).  He didn’t promise to send them later… or IF we lived the perfect life… or IF we did our devotion every morning… or AS LONG AS we pray an hour every morning.  No, He left them as a constant in their life for as long as they breathe… then He will increase both at the moment of death.

Read these S-L-O-W-L-Y…

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Matt 25:23 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.’

John 16:20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

John 16:24 Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

John 17:13 I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

No matter how bad… OR good… things are, the Christian’s joy can’t be diminished, or increased, by any earthly thing.  I write that because the Christian’s name is written down in heaven!  Now for the kicker…

They come from WITHIN (Jn 15:11 above).  You don’t work for them (1 Jn 5:3).  They are GIVEN!  They are NATURAL for the believer!

It’s not that Christians are always giggling or emotionally high as much as there is a deep, abiding, constant, contentment of the soul that circumstances or events cannot shake.  As Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:14).

That is a powerful evidence of a genuine salvation!