Thursday, August 14, 2014

Joy Unspeakable!

"Therefore you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you" (John 16:22)

The phrase "joy unspeakable and full of glory" is the title of a gospel song from 1900 written by Church of God minister Barney Elliott Warren.  His inspiration came from the words of the Apostle Peter about the joy that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8, KJV)

Peter wrote concerning how, though the believer cannot see Jesus right now visibly, still because of our faith in Him and His finished work on the cross, our hearts are filled with joy, a depth of joy that it is absolutely impossible to adequately put into words.  It is truly "joy unspeakable" and it ought to overflow our lives!  It ought to be so infectious that those who are exposed to it when they are in our presence cannot help but notice that something is very, very different about us.  We are not weird but we are joyful!  As Barney Warren put it so well:

"I have found the joy no tongue can tell,
How the waves of glory roll;
It is like a great o'erflowing well,
Springing up within my soul"

It you could have seen the faces and manner of the disciples that final night with Jesus, beloved, you would definitely not have seen "poster children" for the joy of the Lord!  They were anything but joyful, so great was their sorrow over His coming departure from them.  And though He sought to convince them that their hearts would be joyful after a little while of sorrow, they just could not and would not believe it.  It was not until after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost that the true transformation of heart and life began.

How infectious is your joy right now, beloved?  If we are honest with ourselves, each one of us, we must confess that we are not always the most joyful people to be around.  What are we showing to our world that will catch their attention and cause them to want to know what (or who!) has gotten hold of us?  Let me encourage you to ask the Spirit of God to fill you to overflowing with the joy of Jesus Christ.  Ask Him to let your life so flow with the abundance of His joy that it cannot help but wash over those who know you.  It is truly "joy unspeakable" to have a living relationship with Jesus Christ and to be His ambassadors in this world so darkened by sin!  Come on!  Let the waves of glory roll!

Ron