Tag: salvation

Joy In Heaven

Recently, I spoke to a group of lovely ladies about having joy in every season of life. It was a good talk. The ladies laughed or nodded at the right moments. Many said, “this was exactly what I needed to hear.” That always makes my day. There is nothing like God using my words to encourage someone else. But as I thought about one of the points I made, I realized I didn’t get it quite right.

I told the ladies that joy isn’t stoic and quiet, which is true. When you look at passages in the Bible that describe joy, there is almost always praising, dancing, singing, shouting, loud music—sometimes so much that it splits the earth! (See 1 Kings 1:40) When I talked about the angels rejoicing, I pointed out that they rejoiced and sang at the birth of Jesus—true. And that they rejoice when a sinner is saved and that it must be very noisy in heaven if that happens every time. While I think they probably do join the rejoicing, I realized that they don’t initiate the rejoicing in heaven. It is God who rejoices when one sinner repents. Luke 15:10 says, “Just so, I tell you there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” It’s not the angels bringing the joy, it’s God himself. But I have a feeling when God rejoices, the angels do too.

That verse is directly before the parable of the prodigal son. Whose joy starts the party in that story? When the son returns to his father, it’s the father who runs to his son, rejoicing—embracing him, kissing him, and ordering the servants to quickly bring him the best robe, a ring, shoes, and prepare a feast. Luke 15:24 says, “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” The father began the joyful celebration, and he still does when one of his children repents and comes home.

The joy of heaven comes full circle when his children finally arrive at home in heaven. Jude 24 says that Jesus will present us before the presence of his glory (the throne of God) with great joy. I picture Jesus with a huge smile, rushing us to the Father and announcing, “Look, she’s here!” And the Father responding, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.” (see Matthew 25:23) “In the presence of God is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11) So, it makes sense that there is great joy in heaven—greater joy than we have ever known.

And that joy is being initiated by God himself—over you. So, do the angels rejoice in heaven? Joy is contagious, even here on earth in the simplest ways. It’s hard not to get caught up in someone else’s joy. We cheer, we laugh, we applaud, we jump up and down. But fullness of joy is there, in God’s presence. So yes, I think the angels rejoice continually. I can’t wait to join the celebration!

Daffodil Hope

Early spring in my neck of the woods is one of my favorite seasons. Down by the lake behind our house, the peepers hatched, and they fill the air with unending chirps. The red-wing blackbirds are back, squawking loudly. Their songs are challenged by the grackles’ return and their calls that are reminiscent of an old rusty swing.

There’s a red hue on the tips of the tree branches, promising the gray winter woods will soon be replaced with the pale green of new leaves. Slivers of bright yellow are peeking through buds on forsythia bushes, ready to burst. A few pink cherry blossoms have already popped open. All of these are signs that spring is indeed here.

My favorite sign though is the daffodils blooming in the woods. I think it’s because they sprout and bloom among the dead leaves on the forest floor. New life rising from where there was only death. I can walk through the woods, with the dead leaves and fallen branches crunching under my feet and come upon a delicate daffodil with its colorful little trumpet reaching for the light. They brighten my mood, making me smile. They give me hope that more flowers and warmer temperatures are on the way. And they are a perfect picture of new life in Jesus. We were dead in our sins, but God made us alive in Jesus.

Maybe it’s not a perfect picture of new life in Jesus because the daffodils always had some life in them, even as dormant bulbs. They just needed the right conditions to sprout and come to life. We are kind of the opposite really. We are alive: eating, breathing, heart beating. But spiritually, we aren’t dormant, we’re dead. Warm temperatures, a change in seasons, the right amount of rain and sun—none of it will bring us to life. It took another death, the death and resurrection of God’s own Son, for us to have a chance at new life, eternal life.

New life can come at any time of year for those pursuing it, not just springtime. It doesn’t have to wait for the seasons to change. It just takes recognition that you’re dead in your sins and a desire to be alive. Believing that Jesus died in your place so that you can have eternal life is the beginning of faith. Faith blooms and flourishes as it pushes through the dead stuff of our lives, leaving it all behind, and reaches for the light of the world. These are the thoughts I have when I see the first flowers of spring among the deadness of winter’s remnants. And my heart is forever grateful for the new life I was given forty-five years ago.

Why stay dead when Jesus offers you eternal life? Spring is a perfect time for a new life—a season of new beginnings, of hope, when the dead are raised to life, like my little woodland daffodils.

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. Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV

A Magic Eraser for Life

I had a dark spot on my bathroom. It had been there for a long time. I tried every type of cleaner to remove it with no success. I’m sure the spot is from dirt being trapped in the overspray of my hairspray. I kept trying different things, but nothing took it away. Then one day I was using a Magic Eraser to get a scuff off a wall and thought, I wonder if this would work on the bathroom floor.

I marched upstairs and a few minutes later, ta-da! The spot was gone. As I returned the Magic Eraser to its box, I looked for an explanation as to how it works. Nothing. The box doesn’t say what it’s made of or what is in it. There’s no clue as to why it can erase stains that other cleaners cannot. It doesn’t look like anything special, just a white spongy thing with no odor, no suds, hmm. . . nothing but magic.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a Magic Eraser for life? How great would it be if you could magically erase all the mistakes, regrets, wrongs, hurtful words, and broken-heart moments of your life? You could start fresh, as if those things never happened. Well, we can’t. The things from our pasts happened and had an impact on who we are. But they don’t have to define us or control us, and they don’t have to be a stain that will never go away.

Salvation makes us new. Jesus’ perfect sacrifice in our place erased the stain of sin. The things we have done and have been done to us are gone. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) The Bible is full of these reassurances:

~The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-24)

~But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

~He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and trust in the Lord (Psalm 40:3)

~He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new. Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. (Revelation 21:5)

I hope you have experienced new life in Christ. I am so thankful for the lessons I’ve learned from my past, but I am even more thankful that Jesus erased the sin and hurt of my past and made everything new. Like Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser on my bathroom floor, Jesus is the only answer for the stain of sin. I hope if you haven’t met Him, you will. Only He can make you new and keep you spotlessly clean.

Disclaimer: Do NOT comment on this post with the secret to the Magic Eraser – I want to keep it magical.