ASK

John 18:23-24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Living for a while in a third world culture, you learn valuable traits about people--things like courage and hope and adaptability. I find people who have placed value upon family and God and living life fully even in some of the most difficult of circumstances. Don't get me wrong; life in a third world culture is most difficult. Food is in short supply, jobs don't exist and life in general is not good. So what can we learn from these folks we call our brothers and sisters?

Perhaps we can discover how to live life in the face of ever-increasing struggles. I believe that this is what Jesus is talking about here in the 16th chapter of John. Life is filled with difficult times. Things are not going to get better on its own, the world will not be in step with the Christian faith, and hope will seem far away at best. Most of us have been there, living life less than full, filled with despair and wonderment about the future. The uncertainty of the life we lead can cause us distress.

SO what is the hope? Hope is found only in Jesus, and here in this passage is the key to unlocking that hope. No, this is not the key to prosperity; it is the key to discovering joy in the midst of struggle. This passage is dealing with the reality of human existence where things go wrong and life makes little sense and sometimes we want to give up. In the midst of this, Jesus said you could have joy. This joy is expressed in the simple things of life where family and shelter and waking up another day with good health are the benchmarks to living full.

In reality, it is not about stuff at all. It's about attitude. I choose through this passage to ask of Jesus for those things that will bring me joy. That’s what life is truly about. Life is not measured on the things you accumulate but on the things which bring joy. Jesus said ask of the Father anything in His name so that our JOY will be full. I can only conclude that if our joy is not full, perhaps we’re asking for the wrong things.

SO what brings you joy? Ask of the Father in Jesus' name who gives freely to all who ask.