“Perfecting Joy !!” 1/13/2014

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Godsmanforever
“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org/
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                 
http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht   
“Homily Grits Devotional”   http://www.homilygrits.com/
 
Hebrews 12:1b-2… let us layaside every weight, and the sinwhich so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for thejoythat was set before Himendured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (NKJV)
 
One may wonder how the Lord Jesus Christ, who knew that He was going to suffer and die on the cross…would still be able to see “thejoythat was set before Him”…  Friends, Jesus wasn’t looking forward to the cruel and torturous death He was about to endure being crucified on the cross…  We see Jesus in prayer to His Father the night before His crucifixion, saying…Luke 22:42…   saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cupaway from Me; nevertheless notMywill, butYours, be done.”  (NKJV)
 
Luke goes on and records this vivid detail, next, in…Luke 22:44…  And being in agony, Heprayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like greatdrops of blood falling down to the ground.  (NKJV)   This condition of sweating drops of blood is a rare physical condition known as Hematidroisis, which is described in the following link…“when a person is suffering extreme levels of stress, for example, facing his or her own death.”…  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematidrosis
 
Jesus looked past His impending death, to the “joy” He would experience at accomplishing the will of His Father in heaven…  Jesus knew that He would rise from the grave, and would soon ascend into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father…  We as Christians can also look forward to the day when we too will be not only be positionally perfect, as we are now…but practically perfect in God’s sight, after we are with Him in glory in heaven…1 John 3:2…
 
I spent a day a while back, comparing the false peace one feels while still living in the world…to the supernatural peace that only God can provide to the Christian who is walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), with God in control of their lives…  You can find this day’s writing @ www.Godsmanforever.com by typing 1/03/2014 into the search window…  
 
Love, joy, and peace (along with the other 6 fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23) should hopefully all be growing and maturing with-in the life of the Christian, who is being consistently conformed by God into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ…Romans 8:29…  This spiritual growth processof being conformed into the image of Christ, is known as progressive sanctification…  Here is a great link explaining what this term means, with scripture to back it up…  http://www.gotquestions.org/progressive-sanctification.html 
 
But just like the supernatural “peace of God, which surpassesallunderstanding” (Philippians 4:6-7), that God gives to His obedient children when they are walking in sweet fellowship with Him…the fullness of joy God wants all of His children to experience, will only be at it’s peak when the fullness of Christ’s joy dwells with-in their hearts…  The apostle John records Jesus telling His disciples (and us) this, in…John 15:11…  “These things I have spoken to you, thatMyjoy may remain in you, and thatyourjoy may be full.”  (NKJV)
 
Christians, who are living in continuous, unconfessed sin…may sometimes still be feeling joy because things seem to be going well for them…  But just because God is longsuffering and patient, in hope that the wayward Christian turns and repents of their sins, is no guarantee that this short-term joy will last…  God promises to chastise and even scourge the ones He loves, in order to train them back into submission to God’s will and God’s ways...
 
Hebrews 12:11…  Nownochastening seems to bejoyfulfor the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceablefruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  (NKJV)
 
I am reminded of a TV commercial from back in the day (1972-1981), to illustrate Christian who has decided to gratify their own selfish desires, instead of listening to and obeying the perfect guidance of the Holy Spirit which God has given to them as a life-long Helper…John 14:26…  This rebelling Christian is just like the person who doesn’t change the oil and filter in their car…  This Fram Oil Filter commercial tells us that we can pay for regular oil changes now (submit to God’s will now)…or pay big time later to have our engine rebuilt…(God’s chastising and scourging in order to train the Christian)…
 
Only God can decide the extent of what the writer of Hebrews has penned as “but painful; nevertheless”, in describing God’schastising of the wayward, sinning Christian…  But God does promise that ALL of His children will sooner or later experience God’s way of getting our attention, in…
 
Hebrews 12:5-6…  And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourgeseveryson whom He receives.”  (NKJV)
 
I have personally found that “the peaceablefruit of righteousness” the Lord has given to me, through living as best I can to the leading of the Holy Spirit…by far outweighs any short-term gratification I could have obtained by knowingly disobeying the loving guidance of the Holy Spirit…  In simple terms…living in sin equals separation from the sweet fellowship that walking with the Lord as a Spirit filled Christian will produce…Ephesians 5:18-20…
 
Heavenly Father, I pray that Your Word will strike a chord in hearts and minds of Your children who have not yet learned to live in a way that will be pleasing in Your sight…  I pray Lord, that all of Your children will achieve a level of spiritual maturity, where they have experienced Your richest blessings of supernatural peace and the fullness of joy that only living for You will provide…  I pray for this fullness of Christ’s love in all of our lives, along with the joy and the peace it will afford, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…
 
Blessings in Christ,  bruce r mills
 
P.S.   Here is the link to these 2 – 30 sec Fram Oil Filter commercials spanning 9 years… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHug0AIhVoQ    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq3wL8ZXjBU )
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About Godsmanforever

I present posts about God's Word, with a personal focus on how God's grace is received through saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ... Sinners must understand and obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ... See this link for more... https://godsmanforever.com/2014/10/26/the-truth-about-sin-10262014-by-bruce-reposted-from-7112013/
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