His Inexpressible Joy

I am a day late writing this post because of a weekend away. However, it was through that Sabbath day listening to a sermon preached on the supremacy and Lordship of Christ that brought me to the thoughts I'm writing here today.

The preacher talked extensively about how our lives should be a reflection of Christ, not simply "in our hearts", but in our actions. Although I've heard those words oft repeated to me growing up, I was brought to a different perspective on it when I read a verse he cited about the issue in 1 Peter 1:8-9. "Though you have not seen [Christ], you love him: and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Often when we think of our salvation, we think of ourselves and how we are supposed to do XYZ in order to accomplish this task---this great task of seeking approval and acceptance from God for salvation. We do our actions, pay our tithes, and believe in him. It is me, me, me, when it comes to our endpoint, and so we become consumed with action, and then eventually wither because we are tired of it being our "me" effort in order to work towards true repentance. So, we reserve it back to our hearts, and only walk through the motions.

The beauty of f 1 Peter 1, though, is that it is all about him. We RECEIVE. We LOVE him. It is a GLORIOUS action, full of JOY that is INEXPRESSIBLE. That is what makes it beyond circumstantial actions (which we will eventually grow tired of expressing) into the Lordship of a God who conquers the works-based religion. Eph. 2: 4-10 best describes it by saying,

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,  in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Grace. Love. It is this which urges us onward to willingly be God's handiwork with inexpressible joy and unwavering faith that our strength is not our own, but comes from the open heart of our Lord.