That My joy May Remain in You (Affinché la mia Gioia Dimori in Voi)

Italian: «Vi ho detto queste cose, affinché la mia gioia dimori in voi e la vostra gioia sia piena» (Giovanni 15:11, LND)

English: "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.'" (John 15:11, NKJ)

I must say, out of all the weeks journeying through the New Testament in Italian, reading Giovanni, (John), 13-17 has been my favorite so far. I've always loved the book of John in general. But there's just something about these capitili, (chapters) where Jesus talks just to His disciples about the things they should remember and do, during the days to come.

There are so many good passages, reading it made me feel like a kid in a heavenly candy store. And reading them all together in l'Italiano for the first time, made it più dolce, (sweeter).

Just to mention a few, in capitolo 14 versetto 6, Jesus declares, "Io sono la via, la verità e la vita..." (I am the way, the truth and the life...)

In 16:33 He encourages us by saying, I have told you these things that in me you might have pace, peace. In the world you will have trouble but fatevi coraggio, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

But what I really want to  call your attention to his how much interest Jesus shows in our personal joy, la gioia.

In capitolo 15, versetto 11, Jesus explains to His disciples that I have told these things to you that la mia gioia, might remain in you. And in the l'Italiano, the word dimori is used instead of remain. This means dwell or abide or more simply, live, in you.

And He adds to this, e la vostra gioia sia piena, and that your joy may be full.

He goes on to tell them in Giovanni 16:24 that they are free to ask things of the Father, in His name, so that they will receive and again, that la vostra gioia sia completa, your joy may be full or complete.

La gioia that Christ gives to His children is not something that should come and go depending on what we are currently experiencing. His desire is that His joy would permanently dwell, or you might say take up permanent residence, within us. So that no matter what we are experiencing, we can still have and sense this joy. And if by chance some things do manage to cause our joy to run a little low, we only have to ask because His true desire for us is that our joy will be full, piena (... or completa.)