“There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy”
Open talk in Gospel LibraryContents
Before Reading
Before reading or listening to the talk, consider the following questions:
- What is the connection between joy and repentance?
- How does repentance prepare our hearts to receive the influence of the Holy Ghost?
- What is the role of Jesus Christ in bringing joy into our lives?
- What is the joy that comes from helping others repent?
- How can we imagine the joy the Savior must feel each time we receive the blessings of His atoning sacrifice?
Topics
Understanding the True Meaning of Joy
Elder Christensen explains that joy in the scriptures is a godly attribute, found in its fulness when we return to dwell in the presence of God. It is more profound, enduring, and life-changing than any pleasure this world can offer. Joy is a gift for the faithful, but it comes with a price.
Joy in this context is a godly attribute, found in its fulness when we return to dwell in the presence of God.
Joy is a gift for the faithful, yet it comes with a price. Joy is not cheap or casually given. Rather, it is bought “with the precious blood of [Jesus] Christ.”
- What is the difference between worldly happiness and godly joy?
- Why does Elder Christensen say that joy comes with a price?
- How can you seek to experience this deeper, godly joy in your life?
- What sacrifices are you willing to make to receive true joy?
Experiencing Joy through Repentance
Elder Christensen discusses how repentance, although sometimes painful and difficult, is the pathway to joy. Repentance brings joy because it prepares our hearts to receive the influence of the Holy Ghost.
Repentance is the pathway to joy because it is the pathway that leads to the Savior Jesus Christ.
As we repent of our sins, we must focus on the great joy that follows.
- Why is repentance considered the pathway to joy?
- How does repentance prepare our hearts to receive the influence of the Holy Ghost?
- How have you experienced joy through repentance?
- What changes can you make to focus more on the joy that comes from repentance?
The Joy of Helping Others Repent
Elder Christensen highlights the joy that comes from helping others repent. This is a natural expression of our gratitude toward the Savior and is a source of great joy.
After we have felt the joy that comes from sincere repentance, we quite naturally want to share that joy with others.
Helping others repent is a natural expression of our gratitude toward the Savior, and it is a source of great joy.
- Why does helping others repent bring us joy?
- How is helping others repent an expression of our gratitude toward the Savior?
- Who can you help to experience the joy of repentance?
- How can you better express your gratitude to the Savior by helping others repent?
Imagining the Joy of the Savior
Elder Christensen invites us to imagine the joy the Savior must feel each time we receive the blessings of His atoning sacrifice. He endured pain and suffering for us, so that we might experience the joy of returning with Him to the presence of God.
We speak often of the pain and suffering of Gethsemane and Calvary, but seldom do we speak of the great joy the Savior must have anticipated as He offered His life for us.
Clearly, His pain and His suffering were for us, that we might experience the joy of returning with Him to the presence of God.
- Why does Elder Christensen suggest that the Savior anticipated great joy as He offered His life for us?
- How does the Savior's sacrifice enable us to experience joy?
- How does understanding the Savior's joy in your repentance and return to God affect your view of the atonement?
- How can you better express your gratitude for the joy that comes from the Savior's atonement?
Invitation to Come unto Christ and Receive His Joy
Elder Christensen bears his testimony of Jesus Christ and invites us to come unto Christ to experience joy beyond our imagination. He testifies that repenting daily and coming unto Jesus Christ is the way to experience joy.
I testify that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world.
I am a personal witness that repenting daily and coming unto Jesus Christ is the way to experience joy—joy beyond our imagination.
- What is Elder Christensen's invitation to us regarding Jesus Christ?
- Why does Elder Christensen say that repenting daily and coming unto Jesus Christ is the way to experience joy?
- What steps can you take to come closer to Christ and receive His joy?
- How can you make repentance a daily practice in your life?
