“The thief does not come to except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
Because of Jesus, if anyone on earth can truly rejoice, it ought to be Christians! Consider the following reasons we have to rejoice—
1. The Joy of Drawing Near to God. “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). Because of Jesus our High Priest, we can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
2. The Joy of a Sinner’s Conversion. Luke 15:10 says, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner who repents.” What causes joy in heaven ought to cause joy among the saints on earth too!
3. The Joy of Forgiveness of Sin. David refers to this very thought in Psalm 51 when he states, “Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice,” and “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (vv. 8, 12). How thankful we should be that God is “ready” to forgive (Nehemiah 9:17), and that He pardons “abundantly” (Isaiah 55:7).
4. The Joy of Delving Into God’s Word. “I have rejoiced in Your testimonies, as much as in all riches” (Psalm 119:14). In Scripture the mind and will of God are revealed. Oh, the joy of feasting on the word! (cf. Matthew5:6). “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name” (Jeremiah 15:16).
5. The Joy of the Lord’s Resurrection. The resurrection of Christ was a cause of great joy among His first disciples (Matthew 28:8-9), and ought to be among His followers today. Christians joyfully assemble together to worship Him today in the knowledge that because He arose, one day we will to! (1 Corinthians 15:12-19; John 5:28-29).
6. The Joy of Fellowship. Paul spoke of his confidence of remaining with brethren for their “progress and joy of faith” (Philippians 1:25). The relationship and sense of communion we can have with God and with one another are intended to be a source of genuine joy (1John 1:3-4) John knew of “no greater joy” than to hear that his brethren were “walking in the truth” (3 John 4). Do we really stop to consider the joys of being in our spiritual family?
These are only a sampling of some of the reasons Christians have to rejoice. Is joy in the Lords really part of your life? Or is there a void that only He can fill? Joy is listed among the Spirit’s fruit (Galatians 5:22). It is an ingredient to true faith (1 Peter 1:8). When we focus on Him, we can indeed know greater joy. May we be able to say every day with the Psalmist, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
Mike Vestal
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