Enter Into His Joy – Matthew 25

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.’ vs. 23

We have heard this verse many times and often focus on the fact that if we are faithful in a few things, He will put us in charge of many things. While this is a true statement, what is most striking is the words the master finishes with, “Enter into the joy of your master.” It is fascinating to consider that joy is something you can enter. It is not just an emotion but a location. Yet, that entry into joy was given by invitation. Because of the servant’s faithfulness to his master, he is rewarded with the opportunity to enter into His joy. What does that mean, exactly? The NIV says, “Come and share your master’s happiness.” I especially like the NLT perspective that says, “Let’s celebrate together!”

Entering His joy means we get to experience His pleasure in our lives. In other words, when we are faithful to His word and His will, we sense His pleasure in our lives and knowing we have pleased Him gives us joy too. So, entering His joy means feeling His joy concerning us, but it also means experiencing the true joy that exists between the Son and the Father. Joy is not just something you feel but something you “enter into.” The way was made for us to enter that joy by the cross; the experience comes through our faithfulness. As we please Him, we experience the satisfaction of pleasing Him. Eric Liddell, the Olympian and Missionary portrayed in Chariots of Fire, said, “I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” If you are not feeling His joy, perhaps you are not being faithful or experiencing intimacy with Christ as He does with the Father. In Christ, we have the chance to touch His joy and then, as a result, experience our own joy too!