Luke 15:10
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
The Joy of Witnessing
For me, there are few things more joyful than that of soul winning. I
mean can anything really compare with participating in someone being
saved? Jesus says that there is joy in heaven even when one sinner
repents (Luke 15:7, 10). Shouldn’t that give us joy? I feel so much
exhilaration when I am able to participate in someone being saved. Even
when they reject the message, I know it’s not up to me to save them
since salvation is from God. Maybe someone will come along and water the
message; maybe someone fertilizes it later. However, the harvest is up
to God, and I may never see the fruit. There is also great joy in
obeying the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8), and if you feel
joy in this and heaven feels joy over this, this must glorify God.
The Joy of Overcoming
We know that the will of God is our growing in holiness–sometimes
called sanctification–and abstaining from any kind of sexual immorality
(1 Thess. 4:3-4). So when Christians overcome a major sin, resist a
powerful temptation, or help others do the same, there is true joy found
in this. It is exhilarating knowing that you are being obedient to
God’s command to be holy as He is holy (1 Pet. 1:16), although He
doesn’t expect perfection. That was accomplished by Christ’s atonement
for our sake at the cross (2 Cor. 5:21). Even our generosity pleases God
because it is the will of God, and doing the will of God always
glorifies God (1 Cor. 9:12-14). If you can find things in the Bible
where you can both feel exhilaration and glorify God, that’s as good as
it gets!
The Joy of Serving
When we serve, we should always learn to deflect any praise that
comes our way to God, for the Holy Spirit is the only reason we do any
good. It is never a good thing to accept compliments because you are the
source. We can show a gracious attitude and say thank you, but we must
remember that any good we do is because our good God enables us to do
it. Therefore, He must receive the glory, for He is never going to allow
His glory to be shared with humans (Isaiah 48:11). When you read the
Bible, search the Scriptures for things in life that will exhilarate you
and will also glorify God. Focus on them. Write them down or journal
them when you find them. Then find the joy of the Lord in serving,
overcoming sin, growing in sanctification, and in proclaiming the Gospel
to the lost, for there is no greater joy than to find what exhilarates
you but also glorifies God. It doesn’t get much better than that.
A Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, oh Holy God, thank You for allowing me to feel the
joy of witnessing for Christ, the joy of serving one another and being
served, and also the joy of resisting temptation and overcoming sin in
my desire to grow more holy, as You are already perfectly holy. In
Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen
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