By Russ Atmore
God expects us to rejoice
in Him. The Apostle Paul put it this way in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in
the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” I have come to see that
God wants us to live joyful lives. So many Christians are miserable, and
when they are like this their focus is inward and upon themselves.
Misery does not become a Christian. If we are a miserable people, then
we really are no different from the rest of fallen humanity. I am not
talking about ignoring our sinfulness. We are sinners and we engage in a
life and death struggle with sin all the day. Let no-one say that they
don’t contend with sin. Let no-one say they have not succumbed to sin (1
John 1:8,10). Sin, however, for the Christian is not the master – Jesus
is the Master! Sin shall not be our master due to the fact that we are
now under grace (Romans 6:14).
The truly joyful Christian
is one who sees himself or herself the way God sees them. The Church of
the Lord Jesus Christ exists to joyfully proclaim the incomparable
riches of Christ. Whatever we do in life is to be for the Glory of God
(1 Cor. 10:31). We live for the Glory of God when we are joyful.
Joy is the expression of complete delight or satisfaction in God.
Psalms 37:4
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your
heart.”
Life is not easy for
anyone. It consists of ups and downs. It is our reaction to the
difficult times that God brings into our lives, that will test our
mettle. Like Job, our dependence in the tragedies of life must be in
God. Look at Job’s reaction to the purposes of God in his own life.
Job 42:2,5 “I know
that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. My ears
had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise
myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
Isaiah the prophet had the
same reaction to his sight of God and His holiness. Listen to what he
says:
Isaiah 6:5 “Woe to
me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord
Almighty.”
A vision of God and His
Glory will bring you to your knees in worship. A vision of God will
cause you to hide your face in shame at your sin and guilt. A vision of
God will cause you to rejoice in the eternal God of the universe. It is
He who holds us in the palm of His hands.
What does it mean to
live joyfully for the Glory of God?
Living joyfully means that
all my affections are holy affections. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758),
said that true religion consists in holy affections. Loving Jesus and
rejoicing in Jesus are two aspects of holy affections. We are to
exemplify to a dying and lost world the love of Christ and the result of
that love, namely, our joy. Listen to what the Apostle Peter says:
1 Peter 1:8,9
“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.”
My faith which is the gift
of God (Ephesians 2:8,9) causes me to be filled with unspeakable joy –
to rejoice in Him, and the result of my faith will be the salvation of
my soul. God is working in our lives to make us like His Son.
Romans 8:29 “For
those whom God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the
likeness (image) of His Son….”
Let us henceforth show to
the world that we have been called out of darkness into His marvelous
light. Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God; once
we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy (1 Peter
2:9,10). Let us so live and move that we show forth the glorious riches
of our God, and that we do it with holy joy.
|
