The indestructible joy

"God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." Heb 1:9
How often Christians instead of being joyful, we are gloomy. Day in day out be it going to school or work, we are often seem to be gloomy. How then can we have true joy? A joy that is indestructible.

Christian Salvation is not mainly the forgiveness of sins, but the fellowship of Jesus. Forgiveness gets everything out of the way so that fellowship with Christ can happen. Let's ask ourselves: " Is this fellowship all-satisfying to us?" If not, then there is really no great salvation. If Christ is gloomy or even calmly stoical, then eternity will be a long long sigh for us. Do we want this kind of eternity? A sighing place where we will spend our eternity? Definitely not.

But rather the glory and grace of Christ is that he is and always will be indestructibly happy. It is glory because gloom is not glory. It is gracious because the best thing He has to give us is his joy. John 15:11, 17:13- " These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full" Our capacities for joy are very confined. But Christ not only offers Himself as the divine object of my joy, but even pours His capacity for joy into us, so that we can enjoy Him with the very joy of God. This then is glory and grace.

But come again, we need to know that Christ the indestructible man was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" In Matt 26:38 it says "My soul is very sorrowful even to death; remain here and watch with me" Christ is also our "great high priest" who is able to sympathize with us in our weaknesses, because He was tested in every way as a man like us.

This indomitable joy does not mean that there is only joy. He was divided, torn between joy and sorrow. Can an infinitely glorious soul be troubled? Yes, troubled but not torn and disunited.

Through the agonies of Gethsemane, Jesus was sustained by indetructible joy. "For the joy that was set before Him, he endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" -Heb 12:2. The good shepherd rejoices over one lost sheep. How much more over countless armies of the ransomed!

Some questions to ponder upon:
1. Will we embrace suffering for the cause of Christ?
2. Will we heed the call in Heb 13:13 "let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured?
3. Is the city of God more desirable for us than the city of man? (Heb 11:25-26, 13:14)

For those who have tasted the joy of Jesus, don't forget to share it with those who have not.
Finally all Christ's servant aren't we waiting for one day when our Lord and Savior will say this to us " Well done, good and faithful servant... enter into the joy of your Master-Matt 25:21. The city of God is a city of joy. And that joy is the indestructible joy of Christ!

From Seeing and Savoring Jesus by John Piper