Glorious Joy

Do you ever consider the incredible faith it takes to believe in Jesus? For anyone who hasn’t been saved by his grace, the entire concept may sound foolish. But to those of us who believe, who know for absolute certainty the truth of the gospel, we are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy because we know that the goal of our faith is literally the salvation of our soul. First Peter 1 verses 8 and 9 says:

“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 inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

That is what it’s all about isn’t it? The salvation of our souls. When we, as believers, understand that this life if fleeting and that the afterlife is eternal, we understand that our faith is not misplaced. Actually, we have found something that is more precious than anything life can offer, the love that God gave us through his son, Jesus. With faith to believe, we have been granted eternal life in heaven, not just 80 or 90 years of happiness on this earth which so many pursue, but eternity with our creator. That is why believers are filled with this inexpressible and glorious joy. It is almost as if we know a secret that the rest of the world can’t understand. First Peter says that “though we have not seen him, we love him. And even though we don’t see him now we believe in him”. It is faith like that which saves us, and a knowledge of what’s to come after this short time on earth that fills us with inexpressible and glorious joy.

---

Peter reminds us of what our faith in Jesus affords us, which should explain to those who don’t believe why we have this inexpressible and glorious joy. To me it is more of a peace, an anchor in my life that can’t be shaken. No matter what happens or doesn’t happen in life, I know the truth. The truth is that this life will end, so we should live it well by storing up treasures for our real life that we’ll spend in eternity with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that life on earth is like the blink of an eye in comparison to eternity. So, we can smile, having peace in our hearts and glorious joy of what is to come. Those who don’t understand may look at us as if we have some secret that we’re hiding in our hearts. They may even harbor bitter envy because they aren’t able to understand. But in actuality, this secret is too big and too important to hide. So, I encourage you to share this joy with others. Then they too can understand and experience this inexpressible and glorious joy. If you are reading this and have no idea what I’m talking about, I encourage you to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can save you from hell. He is the only one who can guarantee eternal life in paradise. When you are sealed with his blood, forgiven of your sins and presented to God as righteous; not because of what you’ve done, but only because of your faith in the one who died, transferring his righteousness as a covering for you sin, then and only then, will you really appreciate this inexpressible and glorious joy. Don’t wait, I encourage you to believe in him today.

Call to Act

Have you ever pondered why you're here on this earth? Maybe you've wondered what God wants you to do in life or even if God has a plan for you at all. I believe that God has a plan for all of us. He has put certain skills and passions in our heart and wants to help us use them for his glory. We just need to be willing to follow the Spirit's leading and prepare our minds for action. 1 Peter 1:13 says:

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."

I like that... "prepare your minds for action". In that verse, Peter encourages us to take a bit of initiative in our future with the Lord. He tells us to prepare our minds for action, to be self-controlled and to set our hope on the grace given to us. These are all active directives, not passive ones. As I ponder concepts like these, I'm convinced that God has a plan, or path, for us. We may be able to choose one or even two, but if we are acting within his will, I believe our lives will be fulfilled and his kingdom will be enriched by the fruit of our lives.

---

Peter encourages us to prepare our minds for action. I believe to effectively do this, we should be in constant prayer, in the word, and be open and sensitive to the Holy Spirit. If we are, he is always faithful to direct us and lead us within the path that God has chosen for us. Sure, there are ultimately limitless paths we can choose, but I believe that God has a perfect plan for each one of us; one that will enrich our lives to its fullest. In John 10:10, Jesus assures us that he came that we might have life and have it to the full. I believe that this comes by being in step with him - in step with the Holy Spirit.

Precious Blood

Lately, God has continued to remind me that we, as believers, are strangers here on earth. That this world is not our home. I’ve been considering what that should look like for American believers. In a culture where Jesus is an afterthought and perishable things are highly sought after, how are we to remain set apart? First Peter teaches us that if we live a life as a stranger here on earth we should continually have a reverent fear of our God, knowing that we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. And this thought should continually remind us of who we belong to. It says in First Peter chapter 1 verses 17 through 19:

"Since you call on the Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

To live as a stranger here on earth is to be reminded every second of the day that we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. The bible tells us that we are not our own, but we have been bought with a price - and that price is the blood of God’s only son. I like how Peter says, “we have been redeemed from the empty way of life handed down from our forefathers.” A life in Christ is different than the life of an unbeliever because they still live in the empty way of life handed down by our forefathers. A life in Christ is a life with an eternal purpose. And as we live in reverent fear as strangers here on earth, we need to remind ourselves of where we are headed and live accordingly.

---

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” When we think on this truth it is near impossible to forget our eternal purpose. So, if we live every second of every day remembering that we have been bought with a price, we will never forget that we are strangers here waiting for the day when we will return home to the Father. I encourage you to remember that we are strangers here on earth, and the only way to truly do that is to never forget that we have bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Inheritance

You’ve probably heard the term “born again” in reference to our new life in Christ. First Peter reminds us of our new birth into the living hope through Jesus, in a way that both humbles and excites me. In first Peter 1:3-4 we find these words:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you,"

I love how he explains that our new birth comes with an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade and has been kept in heaven for you. How incredible is that?! If you happen to be one of the privileged few who have been left an inheritance on this earth, you know that that gift had nothing to do with anything you’ve done, but it has everything to do with who you were born to. Likewise, our heavenly inheritance is given to us only because we are born again in Christ. And unlike an earthly inheritance, this one will never perish, spoil or fade and is waiting for us in heaven.

---

I love it when the bible gives us a glimpse into what our eternal future holds. As we spend our lives playing in this sandbox that God created for us, with its finite laws of nature, time and space, one certainty always remains. Life as we know it will one day end for all of us. But for those of us who are “born again”, who chooses to bend our knee to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we have an inheritance in heaven that will never perish, spoil or fade. If you haven’t accepted what Jesus did for us when he died to cover our sins, I encourage you to do it today. And if you’re struggling with the concept of Christianity, I’d be happy to email you information that will help you understand it more clearly.