Joy Was Never Meant to Stop With You
“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ … Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law… Jesus of Nazareth.’ ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip.” — John 1:43–46
Over the past five weeks, we’ve been on an incredible journey together.
We began by learning to seek Jesus with our whole hearts. We discovered that when we intentionally pursue Him, He faithfully reveals Himself.
Next, we learned to follow faithfully—taking the next step of obedience even when we couldn’t see the entire path.
Then we talked about what it means to abide deeply. Not simply visiting Jesus when life becomes difficult, but remaining with Him every day, allowing Him to shape our thoughts, our decisions, and our hearts.
Last week, we celebrated the beautiful fruit of that relationship—experiencing joy. Not happiness based on our circumstances, but the unwavering confidence that Christ is with us no matter what life brings.
Now we arrive at the final step.
Perhaps the most important one.
Invite others along.
Because joy was never meant to stop with us.
Faith Was Always Meant to Be Shared.
One of my favorite passages in Scripture is found in John chapter one.
Philip had just encountered Jesus.
He didn’t attend seminary.
He didn’t have years of Bible study under his belt.
He couldn’t answer every theological question.
What did he do?
He found his friend Nathanael and simply said,
“Come and see.”
Those three words have always challenged me.
Philip didn’t argue.
He didn’t pressure.
He didn’t pretend to know everything.
He simply invited someone else to experience what had changed his own life.
Sometimes we make sharing our faith much more complicated than Jesus ever intended.
We convince ourselves that we need all the answers before we can tell someone about Him.
But maybe God isn’t asking us to have every answer.
Maybe He’s simply asking us to extend an invitation.
You Already Have a Story.
One of the enemy’s greatest lies is this:
“You’re not qualified.”
Maybe you’ve thought:
- I don’t know enough Scripture.
- My past disqualifies me.
- I’m not a speaker.
- Someone else could explain it better.
- What if they ask me something I can’t answer?
Friend, none of those things stopped Philip.
None of those things stop Jesus from using ordinary people.
Your story matters because it’s your story.
No one can argue with what Christ has done in your life.
You don’t have to tell someone everything about Jesus.
You simply have to tell them what He’s done for you.
The Most Powerful Invitations Are Often the Simplest.
Inviting others along doesn’t always look like standing behind a pulpit.
Sometimes it looks like saying:
“Can I pray for you?”
“Would you like to come to church with me?”
“I’m reading something that’s encouraging me. Would you like to read it together?”
“Let’s grab coffee.”
“How are you… really?”
“You don’t have to walk through this alone.”
Those simple invitations have eternal impact.
Many of us can trace our faith journey back to someone who simply cared enough to invite us.
A parent.
A grandparent.
A Sunday School teacher.
A neighbor.
A friend.
Someone left room at their table for us.
Now it’s our turn to leave room for someone else.
An Empty Chair.
I love the image of a porch.
Porches invite people to slow down.
To talk.
To laugh.
To rest.
To belong.
There’s often one more chair waiting for a guest.
I wonder if our lives could look more like that porch.
Not closed off.
Not hurried.
Not so full that no one else can enter.
Just one more chair.
One more conversation.
One more prayer.
One more invitation.
One more person discovering that God deeply loves them.
Imagine what could happen if each of us asked the Lord to show us who belongs in that empty chair this week.
Not to fix them.
Not to rescue them.
Simply to walk beside them as we both follow Jesus.
The Adventure Continues…
As we close this series, I hope you realize something.
This was never about completing five weeks of reading.
It was about becoming people who seek Jesus daily, follow Him faithfully, abide deeply in His presence, experience His joy, and then invite others to experience the same.
That’s the rhythm of the Christian life.
And that’s the heartbeat of Choose Joy Adventure.
Because adventures are always better when we travel together.
So today, ask God one simple question:
Who are You inviting me to invite?
Maybe it’s a family member.
A coworker.
A neighbor.
A friend who’s quietly struggling.
Or maybe it’s someone you’ve been thinking about for weeks, but fear has kept you silent.
Don’t wait until you feel perfectly prepared.
Philip didn’t.
Simply say:
“Come and see.”
And perhaps those three words will become the beginning of someone else’s greatest adventure.
This Week’s Challenge…
Before next Monday, ask God to place one person on your heart.
Pray for them every day.
Encourage them in a tangible way.
Invite them to coffee, church, Bible study, or simply into a conversation.
You don’t have to have all the answers.
You only have to be willing to leave one more chair at your table.
Because someone is waiting for an invitation.
And Jesus is still changing lives, one “Come and see” at a time.
With love and joy,
Laura
