Joy Doubled In The Joy Of Another

“For you are our glory and joy”

 John Piper writes about joy doubled in the joy of another,

“But there is another way of describing the psychological process that leads from delight in God to labors of love.  When a person delights in the display of the glorious grace of God, that person will want to see as many displays of it as possible in other people.  If it can be God’s means of another person’s miraculous conversion, I will count it all joy, because what would I rather see than another display of the beauty of God’s grace in the joy of another person?  My joy is doubled in his.”

“When the Christian sees a person without hope or joy, that person’s need becomes like a low-pressure zone approaching a high-pressure zone of joy in God’s grace.  In this spiritual atmosphere , a draft is created from the Christian with the high pressure of joy to the low-pressure zone of need, as joy tends to expand to fill the need.  The draft is called love.”

“Love is the overflow of joy in God that meets the needs of others.  The overflow is experienced consciously as the pursuit of our joy in the joy of another.  We double our delight in God as we expand it in the lives of others.  If our ultimate joy were anything less than joy in God, we would be idolaters and no eternal help to anyone.  Therefore, the pursuit of pleasure is an essential motive for every good deed.  And if you aim to abandon the pursuit of full and lasting pleasure, you cannot love people or please God.”