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 goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
{1 Peter 1:8,9} (NIV1984)
There is
something about Peter that causes us to identify with him. He was a working
man, he had a mother-in-law, he spoke before thinking, he struggled with fear
and faith, and was used by God in spite of himself. In the beginning of this
letter that he wrote to the early Christians, he identifies with their
sufferings and then makes an extraordinary statement about the joy that fills
them. How could anyone be joyful as they suffer persecution and death?
A person
who loves Jesus, without seeing him, and who believes in Jesus, is filled with
joy because they know they are being saved. They have the Holy Spirit within
them that brings joy in their heart. Not just a “Oh yeah - I am saved. Whippy dee
doo”. NO! A joy that is inexpressible, a joy that is glorious. A joy that fills
a person from the inside out.
O friend, you have this joy within you.
Just think upon the truth that you are being saved by the God you love, and the
joy of the Lord will fill your soul.
Since Jesus came into my heart,
since Jesus came into my heart,
floods of joy o'er my soul
like the sea billows roll,
since Jesus came into my heart.
Words: Rufus H. McDaniel, 1914.
Music: Charles H. Gabriel, 1914
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