May 1st, 2018

Inexpressible Joy

“Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.”  1 Peter 1:8-9

We thank God for gifting us with His word of inexpressible joy.  It is a joy that words cannot adequately express, so we stop trying and simply bask in the utter joy and delight of the Lord.  Peter’s words can be summed up simply, as it a message all about:

• Believing;
• Rejoicing; and.
• Receiving.

I have known people who believe!  A lifestyle of believing God is a supernatural lifestyle.  It is the lifestyle of David, who wrote that the Lord would lift him up above his enemies.  It is the lifestyle that confesses, “I know in Whom I have believed.”  Beloved, there is the secret – the mystery of the gospel revealed for us.  We believe in the Lord – a Person!  Choose to not believe in circumstances, conditions, situations, and problems.  Choose to believe in Christ.  Choose to believe that His blood still saves, still forgives, still heals, still delivers, still protects. 

It is hard to always believe.  After all, Peter acknowledges, “you haven’t seen Him, but you love Him; you believe in Him.”  The key to believing is courage.  People of great faith have the courage to believe God for what IS MOST CERTAINLY IMPOSSIBLE, according to the world.  Understand this truth beloved; a big believer is a big receiver!  Believing requires courage. 

Such faith also means the ability to walk through the storms of life and rejoice.  Ps. 16:11 reflects this very well: “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  The Bible speaks of something called “greatly rejoicing” and this describes some people I know.  This is found in Isa. 61:10 – 11.  Praise your way through the valley. Rejoice is to be filled with gladness.   

Finally, we are called to receive. Be willing to receive from your Father!  He wants to bless His sons and daughters.  1 Cor. 2:14 speaks of the limits of the natural man to understand, let alone receive, but the Spirit of God speaks to our spirit and we have understanding and run to receive our blessing!