Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “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 end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”- 1 Peter 1:8-9
Insight – As we continue our look at how to gain unspeakable joy as a result of our relationship with Christ, it is important to remember that the greatest joy we can gain in our life is through the abiding relationship we have with Christ. When we have this, we can see all things as a hallelujah and amen, and that makes our joy complete. It means we have all we need and we can be content with that. We have a clear mindset that leads to contentment and we want what we have in Jesus who gives us all we need instead of a mindset of lack that focuses on having what we want. Wanting what we have is a secure place to be, and it brings joy. Having what we want is a mindset of lack and it brings peril.
Here’s a good illustration of what I mean. In Genesis 3:1-7 Eve gets tricked by satan by engaging in a conversation with the enemy about the one thing God told her she couldn’t have. She was not content with everything else, so from a position of lack, she was vulnerable to the enemy’s deception. She could have and should have simply said to the enemy, “I’m fine! God has given me everything I need and more. I don’t need anything else, especially that one thing He told me to avoid.” Then she should have walked away. That would have been a much better outcome. But instead she chose to engage the crafty serpent on his terms, and he tricked her using an attack of doubt that played on her perception that God was withholding something from her that she needed. She wanted something she didn’t have instead of being content with what she did have. This is always a dangerous place to be. The joy God promises us is found in accepting and being content with all He has given us, and in Christ Jesus He has given us everything He had, and all we will ever need to find the pure joy we all long for. Say no to lesser things, and be joyful in Jesus!
Prayer: Father God, thank you that you gave us everything we need for joy in your Son Jesus. You paid it all, emptied yourself of everything, so that we could be reconciled back to you through Jesus. That is the biggest cause for joy we will ever know or ever need. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. Amen!
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