Rejoicing in our Friendship

If we have one true friend, we are truly blessed. A true friend is someone who we can trust with our secrets, depend on them in times of need, and laugh with them in times of rejoicing. The greatest friend that we would ever have is our Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 5:7, Paul declares "for one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die." In John 15:13, the Apostle John declares "greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Christ loves us beyond human comprehension; He gave His life as a sacrifice because of His great love for us and called us friends.

God Believes in You

Giving one's life for their beliefs is considered a great honor in many cultures, especially when one gives their life for their religious and political convictions. In Romans 5:6, Paul declares "at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." Before the time of Christ, and after the fall of Adam, there was no hope, no power, for man to be reconciled with God. Because Christ believed in each one of us, He gave His life for the world that was full of sin, so we all would have a chance to have eternal life.

Called for Service

God has called each one of us, as believers, for a specific purpose. In Jeremiah 1:5, the Lord declares "I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Before Jeremiah was born, God knew him, set him apart, and called him to be a prophet to the nations. The same is true for each on of us as modern-day disciples, as Apostle Paul declares in Romans 8:30. He says "those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." God calls us to service; he also equips us finish the work that He has called us to do.

Consecrated for Ministry

In Jeremiah 1:5, the Lord declares "before you were born I set you apart." In the previous verse, the Lord declares that before Jeremiah was formed in the womb, God knew him; more than that, He set him apart before he was born. The same is true for each one of us, as modern-day disciples. God has given each one of us a gift and a purpose. We have been consecrated, set apart, for the work of the ministry, even before we were born. As our friendship with God continues to grow, our purpose becomes clear, and our way to complete that purpose becomes clear.

Complete in Christ

In Jeremiah 1:5, the Lord declares to Jeremiah "before I formed you in the womb I knew you." He makes the same declaration to each one of us; before any of us were formed, as a thought or a glow on our mother's face, before our mothers and fathers knew each other, God knew us. Just as the Lord encourages Jeremiah, He continues to encourage us today. God does not see us as we are in our current situations; He sees as we will be in Christ, as James 1:4 says, mature, complete, and lacking nothing.

Joy in God's Presence

At times, when we petition God in prayer, we have a list of requests. We may ask God meet our material needs, wealth, favor, healing, etc. In Psalm 16:11, David declares to the Lord "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." The things that we ask for in prayer are readily available to God, as He alone is all powerful; however, all that we could ever ask for in prayer is available to us in God's presence. The privledge of being in His presence alone is reason to rejoice.

My Soul is Anchored

A visit to the docks is simply amazing when you consider that the massive ships are secured to the dock by an anchor and possibly a few ropes. In Psalm 94:18-19, David declared "When I said, "My foot is slipping,"your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." Even when we feel as though we are drifting away from God, we have an anchor, our faith, that keeps us close to the Father. He is never far from us, and consoles us, so that even in our greatest trials, we can still have joy.

Reason to Rejoice

In Luke 10:20, Jesus declared to the disciples "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." The disciples rejoiced as they saw the great power and authority they had in Jesus' name, and the protection He provided as they went out to minister. Jesus tells the disciples that although those things are great, He has seen much greater miracles. The greatest miracle they would experience, however, is their salvation. Thankfully, Christ has given us the same opportunity to experience the miracle of salvation, which is surely a reason to rejoice.

No Weapon Shall Prosper

In Luke 10: 19, Jesus encourages his disciples to continue the work of ministry. He comforts them by telling them "nothing will harm you." Jesus was simply reminding the disciples of the promises of God, as God promised in Isaiah 54:17 "no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you." The Lord did not promise that they would not face trials, as the trials are sent to test our faith; the weapon will be formed, but it will not destroy us. We, as modern-day disciples, can take joy in the same promise. As we continue through our journey, we may have to trudge through some difficult terrain; the good news is that we are protected by Christ, the one who sent us out; the better news is that He goes with us, as His Spirit is our constant companion.

Kingdom Authority

In Luke 10: 19, Jesus told His disciples "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy." When Jesus and the disciples were ministering, they walked from city to city to spread the gospel and minister to the people. The paths between the cities were often treacherous; the paths had all sorts of deadly dangers, including snakes, scorpions, and murderous thieves. Jesus comforts his disciples, just as he comforts us today. He has given us the authority to go out and minister to the people, so we do not need to fear the potential dangers we may face along the way.

Another Reason to Rejoice

Jesus sent out 72 additional disciples to do the work of ministry, and they returned rejoicing at the great power they experienced as His disciples. They were amazed that the demons were subject to them in Jesus name. In Luke 10:18, Jesus replied to his disciples, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." The disciples rejoiced at demons being subject to them; Jesus gives them yet another reason to rejoice. Lightning travels at speeds of over 90,000 miles per second; to see Satan himself evicted from heaven at lightning speed is certainly a reason to rejoice.

Distorted Focus

When you look through the lens of someone's glasses, it's difficult to focus and your vision is often blurry, as their lenses were prescribed specifically for them. The same is true when we lose focus of the assignment that God has called us to do. In addition to the 12 core disciples, Jesus selected 72 others to minister to the people in the towns ands villages where He was about to go. In Luke 10:17, the Bible records that "the seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." The disciples were overjoyed at the results of following the Lord, but they lost focus of their assignment; to minister to the people. When we focus on our assignment, our vision will be much clearer.

Testing of our Faith

Before a product can be released to a mass market, it has to pass a series of rigorous quality control tests before the manufacturer stamps their brand name on the product. The same is true with our faith; it must be tested to be proven. In 1 Peter 1:7, the Apostle declares "these trials have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. " The tests and trials that we face are not meant to destroy us; they are meant to test and prove our faith as we bear the name of Christ.

Trouble Doesn't Last

An old adage says "into every life, a little rain must fall," but for some people, the rain seems to fall without ceasing. In 1 Peter 1:6, the Apostle declares "in this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." Even though we may have suffered, or may be suffering now, it's only for a little while. We still have hope and are able to rejoice in our salvation, which we will rejoice in eternally.

Shield of God's Power

In 1 Peter 1:5, the Apostle declares that you, "who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." Regardless of the situations and circumstances that we may face, we can go through them with joy as we are shielded and protected by our faith in God's great power. The full glory of our salvation will be revealed at the end of our story; in the meantime, we can rest in our joy.

Our Inheritance of Joy

A wealthy family often leaves their wealth to their heirs to take care of their financial needs for years after they pass away. Eventually, their wealth will dry up, leaving their heirs to survive on their own. In 1 Peter 1:3-4, the Apostle declares "In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you." The inheritance we have in Christ is an eternal promise of the joy of our salvation, which is not affected by any recession, but is protected and given to us as a result of our relationship with Christ.

Still Have Joy

Joy is not an emotion based on circumstances; it is fulfillment of Christ's love for us as His disciples. In John 15:10-11, Jesus teaches His disciples, "if you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." Regardless of our situation, we can still have joy when we remain in the love of Christ, as His great love completes our joy.

Whatever You Ask

How do we know that God hears our prayers? At times, he may respond directly; other times, He responds indirectly. In both cases, He responds, and makes us aware that He has responded to our prayers. In John 15:7-8, Jesus teaches His disciples "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." God hears our prayers and responds to them; when remain in Christ, our prayers will be grounded in the will of God, and we will be able to recognize when He answers them.

Without God, I Can Do Nothing

When a plant's branches are connected to the vine, the plant will continue to thrive and grow as long as it remains planted in the soil. In John 15:5, Jesus taught His disciples "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." Christ empowers us to do all things, as Paul declared in Philippians 4:13; however, as Jesus himself declares, we can do nothing without Him.

Remaining on the Vine

Every fruit-producing bush plant is nourished from the roots that are deep in the ground, which nourishes everything that draws from it. When the branch separates from the vine, it dies and becomes nothing more than a stick. In John 15:4, Jesus declared to His disciples, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." Just as the branch must attached to the vine to prosper, we must remain connected to our Savior so we can thrive and prosper spiritually.

God's Pruning

In the middle of Summer, it seems as though all of our fruits, vegetables, and flowers are in full bloom. In John 15:1-2, Jesus teaches His disciples "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." However, unless we prune the branches and leaves on those plants, they will become overgrown, and the plant will suffocate itself and die. The same is true with us, as modern disciples; the process of pruning away those things that are not like God is uncomfortable, but necessary, so that we can continue to grow and produce much more fruit.