A Reason for Joy

 I would imagine that heaven is a pretty joyful place. There is no sin there. God is on His throne shining forth in all His glory for all to see. There are angels all around the throne with the multitudes of believers who are rejoicing in the Lord with great joy, as they worship the Father and the Lamb. There just must be plenty of joy in heaven. However, the Lord Jesus went out of His way to tell us about another cause for joy in Heaven. (Luke 15:10) There is joy in the presence of the angels in Heaven over one sinner who repents. The salvation of one soul brings out extra joy in the most joyful place in the universe. That should teach us something.

What causes us joy? Yes, I know joy is a fruit of the Spirit, so if we are filled with the Spirit, we have joy in our lives regardless of our circumstances. However, what kind of things bring us special joy? I believe we find joy in our family relationships because of the deep love we have for each other. When we have special friends with us, they bring us more joy. The question is, "Do we experience joy when we see another person come to know Jesus?" I believe this one event should bring us more joy than anything that happens to us, besides our own personal salvation. Each person is made in the image of God. Each one of us is uniquely made by God, and He loves each of us. We should derive great joy from seeing any person who is dear to God come to have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life. If that does not cause us to experience abundant joy, we are out of fellowship with the Lord. When we are right with God, we have joy from what brings joy to the Lord. In fact, this joy should inspire us to share Jesus with those around us, so they can know Him, and we can have our hearts filled with joy again.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 16-19.