Friday, May 25, 2012
Read John 16:12-22. "I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you" (John 16:22).
EVERLASTING JOY
Once when I quoted Romans 8:31 to someone, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" The response I received was, "Plenty of people!" It is true there are many who may be against us. Jesus said, "You will be hated by all for my name's sake" (Matthew 10:22). Worse than that the devil is against you and is constantly prowling around like a roaring lion seeking to devour you. Yet it is true that if God is for us, none of these enemies can do any real harm to us for God is greater than them all.
Jesus promised his followers, "No one will take [your joy] from you." There were plenty of people who wanted to take the disciple's joy from them. The priests and pharisees tried hard to take their joy from them. They threw them in prison, they beat them and threatened them, but they couldn't take away their joy.
They could take away their freedom and possessions. They could even take their lives, but they could not take their joy from them. That is because they could not "separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:39). Those disciples continued to rejoice and praise God and proclaim His grace to the world until death. When they were beaten and persecuted they rejoiced "that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41). Even in the face of death they had the joy of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Now they have the most perfect joy with their Savior that will last forever in heaven.
We have been given the same source of joy -- seeing Jesus with the eyes of faith. That is a joy no one can take from us. We may lose that joy when we take our eyes and our hearts off of Jesus, but no one can take that joy away. Look to Him and your joy will return.
Finally, there is an extended application of this for us. It will be just "a little while" and we will see Jesus face to face. For He will come again to take us to be with Him where He is. Then we will be with Him in the mansions of heaven which He has prepared for us, where all sorrow will be gone forever. For He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and fill us with the fullness of joy forevermore. Then no one will be able to diminish our joy even in the least.
