Inexpressible and Glorious Joy

Sorry for the long delay in returning to the blogosphere. But here is another attempt to encourage you in your hope in Christ.

In 1 Peter 1:8-9 the apostle Peter wrote, "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

How is your joy? Do you find yourself languishing in the doldrums because of the things going on in your life? If so, here are a few reminders that will jump-start your joy.
First, we have joy in God’s character. Joy originates in God Himself. He is sovereign, gracious, merciful, just, kind, compassionate, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. He constantly works all things together for our good (Rom. 8:28), and we therefore have confidence.
Secondly, we have joy in Christ’s sacrifice. When we consider the great sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our sins and are reminded of the fact that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8), we should immediately praise and thank God for His unspeakable Gift and be continuously filled with great joy.
Thirdly, believers have joy in the Spirit’s work. Besides giving us the gift of joy itself, the Spirit of God constantly is working to show us the things of God in order to make us more like our Savior. The Spirit is also the down payment on our eternal inheritance and the Guarantee of our salvation, and He is constantly interceding before the throne of grace on our behalf.
Next, we continually experience joy in spiritual blessings. God’s showers of spiritual blessings never end. We may sometimes get so wrapped up in our little world that we lose our focus on the spiritual blessings we have in Christ.
Another reason we praise God is because of our joy in God’s providence. Divine providence is how God works to coordinate every circumstance to result in our greatest good. When you stop to think how God synchronizes millions of details and situations to accomplish His divine purposes, that’s really more of a miracle than the supernatural occurrences we normally think of.
Sixth, we have joy in our inheritance. When all is said and done many believers have been robbed of their joy because they are too earth-bound. It seems we are no longer captivated with the joyous thought that one day we will enter the unfathomable riches of an eternal home prepared specifically for them. We have settled for the temporary trinkets of this earth and our joy has vanished. If we could get back into the habit of setting our “minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2), we would quickly resound with joy in spite of the difficulties and sorrows of this present life.
Seventh, we have joy in answered prayer. John wrote in 1 John 5:14-15 that we have confidence in approaching God knowing that He will answer any request we make that is in accordance with His will. When you stop to think of all the times God has answered your prayers it ought to fill you with lasting joy.
Finally, we have joy in God’s Word. Knowing that God’s Word is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17) should keep us from ever abandoning our joy before the Lord. Scripture elicits from God’s people an attitude of gratitude and a spirit of joy.

Whenever your joy starts to fade, think on these things and “rejoice always.” Church history records that the early Christians would greet each other with this simple salutation: “Rejoice!” Isn’t that more meaningful than a routine “hi” or “Good morning”? Realizing that joy was a command and a gift they gladly incorporated it into their everyday conversations. It might be a good practice to resurrect. “Rejoice!” Such inexpressible and glorious joy will certainly serve to nurture.....

A Steadfast Hope!