The thief comes only to steal and  kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

About four years ago my whole world was shaken. I grew up in church as the son of a full-time church minister. I had a solid upbringing and The Lord was good to me growing up in regards to placing many people in my life, including my parents, that trained me to seek after The Lord. I had moved 12 hours from home and was in college in Nashville, and up to that point I had experienced very little hardship in my life.

Out of nowhere, I found out my parents were getting a divorce. Years of built up hidden sin had been exposed and like the evil thief he is, Satan started stealing, killing, and destroying.

It rocked my world. Weeks and months went by and I simply wasn’t even sure if I knew how to breathe anymore. I didn’t know what to think anymore. I didn’t know what to believe anymore.

Please hear me, I was at a crossroads. Even though I was seeing with my own two eyes the destruction brought about by sin. I felt it’s pull on my life like never before. I felt the pull to walk away from The Lord and indulge in my flesh.

It was only by God’s sweet mercy through Christ and through His awesome Word that Satan and my flesh did not have victory over my life at that time. In fact, as I sat more and more in the Word, what Jesus says in John 15:11 became true in my life like never before. As I reflected on the things He has spoken, His joy formed within me, and even more astonishing, instead of the emptiness I had experience with my own sin and the sin of others, I found myself full.

I became full of joy. Joy! Joy in the midst of death, and destruction, and pain, and chaos, and confusion, and doubt…JOY! Life bubbled in my heart. Hope flourished. Not to be too cheesy, but colors seemed to be more colorful. God’s Word, produced joy and life in my heart like I had never experienced before. This is why I cling to it and champion it with my life.

I share all of this to say, this is what Christ desires for you individually and us all corporately. This is what it means to be vibrant…FULL! Full of life. Full of joy. Full of peace. Full of hope. Full of Jesus! Jesus and His joy should radiate within us and through us.

The words spoken by Jesus are meant to produce joy! So when we reflect on them together through Matt’s teaching, through musical worship, or through grow groups, it should further a vibrant spirit amongst us all. We should corporately find ourselves more full of joy! It doesn’t mean that we won’t go through hard things and it doesn’t mean that we won’t feel those hard things….but it does mean that in the midst of the storm we will find ourselves standing on a Rock. When we find that the Rock, the Refuge, and the Strong Tower keeps us from being destroying by the storm, it will naturally produce in us thankfulness, confidence in Him, and joy.

I believe and can see the Holy Spirit already doing that in and through His people at The Grove Church. It’s a beautiful and sweet thing. Praise to Jesus, the God of Life and Joy. The One who makes and keeps us full and vibrant.