1 John 1:1-4

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 1 John 1:1-4 (ESV)

What particularly strikes me about this passage is that John says that he is “writing these things that our joy may be complete.” He does not say “your joy”*, but “our joy”. Too often I think of witnessing to others as a duty or a chore, but not something that is going to bring me joy. This fits with the Westminster Shorter Catechism’s first question, however: Q: What is man’s primary purpose? A: To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. We find our greatest joy when we glorify God and how better to glorify God than to proclaim His Word, the Gospel, to those around us. Having seen Jesus, my first response should be a desire to tell everyone about Him and what He has done. In this my joy will be complete as will that of those who hear and believe

*although, according to footnotes I read, some manuscripts do have “your” rather than “our”