The Greatest Joy of All

I believe that sharing your faith can be exciting, joyful, and—dare I use the word—fun. Psalm 126:6 says, “They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest” (NLT).

You go out with sadness, concerned for people who don’t know the Lord. But you come back with joy, because people have come to Christ. As C S Lewis pointed out, “Joy is the serious business of Heaven.”

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35 NLT). That is certainly true when we share the message of the gospel.

There’s joy in Heaven every time someone puts their faith in Jesus Christ. In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus said, “There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” (Luke 15:7 NLT).

So, if there’s joy in Heaven, there ought to be joy on Earth and in our hearts as well.

Next to personally knowing the Lord, the greatest joy I know is bringing others to Him and then watching them grow and be transformed. The apostle John wrote, “I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth” (3 John 1:4 NLT).

There is joy in telling people about Jesus and seeing them grow in Him. Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica about the great joy he was experiencing as he watched them grow spiritually. He said, “After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you!” (1 Thessalonians 2:19 nNLTlt).

The happiest Christians I know are evangelistic Christians. When you’re pointing someone to Christ and they come to believe in Him, that’s the greatest joy of all.