Pure Joy: Feasting on God's Love
The spiritual discipline I’m going to focus on today is the one of celebration. This teaching is for everyone! We all need to learn how to dwell in the secret place of God’s blessing, and celebrate every day, at every moment of every day. What are we fighting for in this life, if not peace of mind and happiness?
"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence. The phrase is meant to exemplify the "unalienable rights" with which all human beings are endowed by their Creator and for the protection of which they institute governments.
It’s not only our God given right to celebrate, this is what God wants for us! He not only wants it, He commands it! The seriousness of religion should never overcome the joy factor we have in Christ. We are eternally saved! We have every reason to celebrate. If we can’t learn to be thankful now, how will we ever be able to go through the hard times with strength? How will we be able to defend our default setting of joy in Christ, no matter the circumstance? Like Paul, (who said to imitate himself) we can rejoice even in a dungeon prison, in chains, if we allow God to change our mindset to joy unspeakable, no matter the circumstance!
"(Jesus) whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,"
Just look at the story of my life. If ever there were a more appropriate name given, it’s mine. My name means: “Rose of grace”. God’s grace is my life song. I was a person who was ready to throw away her life many times, but God ended up showing me my worth that I just couldn’t see.
I have battled depression on and off for a very long time. Battle is the appropriate term, because that’s what taught me to fight, it strengthened my heart and made me tough yet tender. So many times I was on the ledge between life and death, with not much holding me back from jumping off that ledge, not much left to hope for. I was such a person that could never find my purpose without God. The more I tried, the more lost I would get. That was God’s grace. My failures were really blessings in disguise. The worst times ended up being the biggest blessings because they made me seek God, who I found to be my ultimate happiness. Getting saved was the best thing that ever happened to me. I will never get over this grace extended to me. I will never forget this mercy. It has changed my entire life. Thankfully, I will never be the same!
The good Word has already been written, so now it’s time to speak it into existence. Drop your worries like a garment! Step into perfect peace and joy. We don’t need heavy garments of sorrow anymore. We are free!
Isaiah 61:3
"To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
This is the story of my life. Without Jesus, nothing…with Him, everything.
The topic of this teaching is joy (and celebration) which can be used interchangeably with the term grace.
There are 5 points of grace/ joy. Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit and it can be further broken down into 5 points.
Reasons to Rejoice:
1. It’s a COMMAND.
2. We have LIBERTY/ FREEDOM in Christ.
3. It is a FREE GIFT we receive with salvation.
4. The complete FILLING/ OVERFLOW that allows us to give to others. There is an abundance.
5. It provides the STRENGTH to get us through hardship.
The first and most simple reason to rejoice is just because of the fact that it is a command from God Almighty. Who are we to disobey him? When He tells us to rejoice and be filled with the Spirit, He means it. “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” C.S. Lewis
Psalm 37:4
"Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 47:1
"Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!"
Psalm 33:1
"Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful."
Philippians 4:4
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"
1 Chronicles 16:31
"Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, 'The Lord reigns.'”
Zephaniah 3:17
"The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Psalm 40:16
"Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
'The Lord be magnified!'”
Isaiah 12:6
"Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
The second reason to celebrate is we have freedom and liberty in Christ. This is a never-ending reason to rejoice: the kindness, compassion and patience God has with us. His forgiveness is so unbelievable. It’s so wonderful, it’s beyond reason. There is complete freedom in Christ! That is a solid part of the foundation of our joy. Freedom is extended to us by Christ, allowing us to extend the same freedom and liberty to others. That, my friends, is perhaps the biggest testimony for God, His work in our lives. When we can love others the way He loves us we are being a great testimony for Christ. We can develop all the fruit of the Spirit because He first loved us with a love that is so free, it breaks every yoke of bondage in our lives and sets us on fire! God’s love heals whatever it touches. In the overflow of God’s love we can touch others and love them with His own love.
Romans 8:1 (perhaps the best verse in the whole Bible.)
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."
2 Corinthians 3:17
"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;"
The next reason to rejoice is perhaps the GREATEST reason of all, the fact that God’s grace is a free gift. We don’t deserve it, yet because of His kindness He rains blessings down on us out of His own choosing. “Life is a gift; that’s why they call it the present.” We have won the proverbial lottery of eternal riches beyond mortal comprehension. Praise Him! God wants to blow our minds beyond belief with His many blessings. His greatness is beyond human comprehension. Do we realize our great fortune to receive salvation? Nothing else even comes close! We have been selected to be a recipient of blessings beyond our wildest dreams, both now and in the life to come. We deserve nothing, yet God wants to give us everything, more than we could ever dream of having! That, my friends, is the grace of our God. Get giddy, intoxicatingly giddy, at the good fortune of our salvation and the good things to come that God has in store for us!
1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Deuteronomy 16:15
"Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice."
Ephesians 2:8
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,"
Psalm 13:5
"But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation."
Psalm 30:5
"For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning."
Psalm 118:24
"This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalm 126:3
"The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad."
The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. That’s why the topic of joy is found in both. God is synonymous with joy. God IS our joy.
The next reason to rejoice is the overflow. God’s love is just so enormous, it can’t be contained. His power is just so abundant, the source of all good things. Just by being filled with God’s love, others will be blessed just by coming into contact with us. They say a good mood is contagious, but God’s love is not only contagious, it’s highly infectious. People won’t know what hit them when they experience the love of God. The joy of the Lord is our best testimony, our best way to witness. People will want what we have if they experience the joy and love of God through us. The gospel becomes attractive when we present it as what people have always been seeking, unspeakable joy. It is the unspeakable joy of union with God. People just don’t know how to find what they are looking for. They have to be told. Who will tell them? We will! We will not only tell them, we will show them firsthand. We cannot keep this joy unspeakable to ourselves. We couldn’t even if we tried. Someone shared it with us. Now it’s time to share this abundance of God’s love and joy with others. There is no guilt in witnessing or evangelizing, just pure joy. It’s more effective to use honey than vinegar to draw people to Christ. The irresistibly attractive sweetness of God is so infinitely joyous. We must share it!
Ephesians 1:23
"which is His (Christ's) body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."
Romans 15:13
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
John 15:11
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."
Ephesians 5:19
"speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,"
Psalm 4:7
"You have put gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased."
The next reason to rejoice is that the joy of the Lord IS our strength.
Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Praise him! Step into the flow of God’s power. Get in line with His will. Submit your will to His and then just go with the flow of His power. When a car behind a truck is pulled by the motion and force of the truck, the car doesn’t need to step on gas. Not by (our) power or might, but by the Spirit of God!
Zechariah 4:6
So he answered and said to me:
“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
Says the LORD of hosts.
The joy of the Lord is the secret to our strength. It’s what helps us face every adversity and hardship that we encounter. We have to be realistic in knowing there will be times that we will weep, but the joy that is set before us is greater than any hardship we will ever have to face in this lifetime. The joy of the Lord will help us to face anything. We know that we will be rewarded for everything we endure, the same way Christ was rewarded for His sacrifice.
Hebrews 12:2
"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the JOY that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
James 1:2-8
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
Romans 5:1-4
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."
Psalm 5:11
"But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You."
Now praise Him! Every day for the rest of your life. This is a God who is WORTHY of unending praise. His love is never-ending! There is no greater love than HIS, and no greater love than ours for HIM.
Meditate on His love and grace, day and night, and you will be completely consumed with joy and love like you have never experienced before. It will only grow as time goes on, like a fine wine, growing better with time.
Psalm 63:5-7
"My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice."
Psalm 96:11-13
"Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord.
For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth."
“What I am anxious to see in Christian believers is a beautiful paradox. I want to see in them the joy of finding God while at the same time they are blessedly pursuing Him. I want to see in them the great joy of having God yet always wanting Him.” -A.W. Tozer
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