Thursday, January 13, 2011
That Your Joy May be Full!
Written by my daughter, Rebecca...
The Law had been read aloud to the people on the first day of the seventh month, just as prescribed in Deuteronomy 31, and those who heard it were overcome with grief. The inevitable result of understanding the Law of God is to understand ...how far you fall short of it. The children of the captivity were realizing, for perhaps the first time, how devastatingly great a gap their sin created between themselves and the Lord. They were realizing how abominable was their rebellion and the rebellion of their fathers. It was indeed worthy of many, many tears.
But that day was a holy day, a day of Sabbath-rest and worship. Mourning was not appropriate; in fact, to persist in formal grief, when the Lord had instituted celebration, would directly contradict the reason they were supposedly weeping. You say you are sorry for your sin; WHY ARE YOU STILL SINNING? No amount of tears and sackcloth, or sacrifices and offerings, can ever remove the stain of evil. It’s there. You’re guilty. There’s nothing you can do about it. Your only chance is to throw yourself at the mercy of the Lord God.
And that’s where the joy of the Lord comes in!
Israel was guilty, and they knew it. We are guilty. Yet we can go, eat the fat, drink the sweet, share our abundance, and celebrate? How is that possible?
Jesus is why that is possible! Jesus Messiah, the fulfillment of the Law, is the reason we have the Lord’s joy fulfilled in ourselves. He paid our debt, cleansed us from our sin, and presents us to God the Father as new creations. 1 John 1:1-4, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”
The joy of the Lord is all that we have in Him. It’s His mercy, His love, His grace, His presence, His blessings, His hand, His guidance, His wisdom, His peace, His sovereignty, His care, His forgiveness – the list could go on and on! The joy of the Lord, the joy of the relationship we have with Him and all that He has given us, is our strength. It’s how we face each day. It’s how we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It’s how we have hope in the midst of darkness. The joy of the Lord is, literally, the LORD HIMSELF! Genesis 15:1, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’”
The omnipotent Creator God is with me, loving me, supporting me, refining me, forgiving me, and working all things together for good in my life. I know He’s there for me, always. I know I dwell between His shoulders, at His mercy seat, sheltered beneath His wings. I know He’s redeemed me and made me His beloved daughter. I know He’s preparing a place for me in His kingdom. I know I can boldly come before His throne of grace. I know He never changes. I DON’T know the limit of His grace. Tell me, if I have HIM…is there anything greater or more glorious? Is there anything that compares to Him? Is there any good thing that I lack? No! Not ever!
The joy of the Lord is my strength!
Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.”
Tests of Knowing Him - 1 John 2:3-6
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked--1 John 2:3-6
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
A life in a relationship with Jesus looks like something. That is important, so I will say it again. A life in a relationship with Jesus looks like something. Evidence of your faith should be well...evident. Those who are truly born again have been given a new nature. This new nature will evidence itself in obedience to the Father's commands and a love for God and for one another. John wanted believers to have an assurance of their salvation and to continue in it. He did not want people to be deceived either by themselves or by others. Be warned, John presents the truths of this book in very black and white terms. Light vs dark. Truth vs error. No real gray areas. John gives us the marks of those who are truly in fellowship with Christ...who truly know Him. They should be a comfort to those who are, and to those who are not, they should be a warning to search their own hearts diligently.
The passage above gives us two ways that you know you belong to Christ - do we do what He says, and do we walk as He walked? More specifically, are we keeping His commandments? (vs 3) Are we keeping His Word? (vs 5) Are we walking as He walked? (vs 6)
Our desire should be to obey His commandments and to do always those things that would please Him. Jesus lived a life of obedience to His Father. He is our pattern. We possess the Spirit of Christ...our lives should reflect His characteristics and His nature. It is not that as a born again believer we display these characteristics faultlessly, but there should be a habitual pattern of obedience to our Heavenly Father and a love for one another manifested daily in the lives we live. The key words there being habitual and daily. If obedience to the Father, is not the general pattern and direction of your life and you say that you know Him, the Bible says you are a liar and the truth is not in you.
On the other hand, verse 5 says that if we do keep His word, then the love of God is perfected in us. I love that. The love that God has for us has reached its mark in us and accomplished what it was designed to do, if we respond by obeying His commandments. In essence our regenerated hearts say...Lord, I see that you are good and you are holy. I see the beauty, goodness and rightness of your ways. I see my own sin and selfishness and I don't want it anymore. I want to be like you. I want to do only those things that please you. The Bible says in Romans that the goodness of God leads us to repentance. .The love of God being perfected in the heart of sinner is a beautiful thing to behold and again...it most definitely looks like something.
Finally, in verse 6, it says, if we say we abide in Him, we should walk as He walked. Jesus' life is our pattern. His obedience to the Father is the standard. All questions girls about how to live are answered in the study of Jesus' life. We have His Spirit, His power and His presence. We can walk as He walked.
John 6:38 says this:
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Jesus had no hidden agendas. No secret motives or plans. Jesus' purpose was to do the will of His Father in heaven. If we walk as He walked, this should be our purpose also.
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
A life in a relationship with Jesus looks like something. That is important, so I will say it again. A life in a relationship with Jesus looks like something. Evidence of your faith should be well...evident. Those who are truly born again have been given a new nature. This new nature will evidence itself in obedience to the Father's commands and a love for God and for one another. John wanted believers to have an assurance of their salvation and to continue in it. He did not want people to be deceived either by themselves or by others. Be warned, John presents the truths of this book in very black and white terms. Light vs dark. Truth vs error. No real gray areas. John gives us the marks of those who are truly in fellowship with Christ...who truly know Him. They should be a comfort to those who are, and to those who are not, they should be a warning to search their own hearts diligently.
The passage above gives us two ways that you know you belong to Christ - do we do what He says, and do we walk as He walked? More specifically, are we keeping His commandments? (vs 3) Are we keeping His Word? (vs 5) Are we walking as He walked? (vs 6)
Our desire should be to obey His commandments and to do always those things that would please Him. Jesus lived a life of obedience to His Father. He is our pattern. We possess the Spirit of Christ...our lives should reflect His characteristics and His nature. It is not that as a born again believer we display these characteristics faultlessly, but there should be a habitual pattern of obedience to our Heavenly Father and a love for one another manifested daily in the lives we live. The key words there being habitual and daily. If obedience to the Father, is not the general pattern and direction of your life and you say that you know Him, the Bible says you are a liar and the truth is not in you.
On the other hand, verse 5 says that if we do keep His word, then the love of God is perfected in us. I love that. The love that God has for us has reached its mark in us and accomplished what it was designed to do, if we respond by obeying His commandments. In essence our regenerated hearts say...Lord, I see that you are good and you are holy. I see the beauty, goodness and rightness of your ways. I see my own sin and selfishness and I don't want it anymore. I want to be like you. I want to do only those things that please you. The Bible says in Romans that the goodness of God leads us to repentance. .The love of God being perfected in the heart of sinner is a beautiful thing to behold and again...it most definitely looks like something.
Finally, in verse 6, it says, if we say we abide in Him, we should walk as He walked. Jesus' life is our pattern. His obedience to the Father is the standard. All questions girls about how to live are answered in the study of Jesus' life. We have His Spirit, His power and His presence. We can walk as He walked.
John 6:38 says this:
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Jesus had no hidden agendas. No secret motives or plans. Jesus' purpose was to do the will of His Father in heaven. If we walk as He walked, this should be our purpose also.
Love
Mom
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