OUR FUTURE JOY
"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy." (I Thessalonians 2:19-20)
Question: What gave the Apostle Paul the most joy and rejoicing and hope for the future? Answer: It was that others would come to know the Lord Jesus and be a part of His kingdom and that they would be together around the feet of Jesus in eternity.
That was the same motivation that the Lord Jesus had during His suffering on this earth. Hebrews 12:2 records that he endured the cross and despised the shame "for the joy that was set before Him." I believe that the joy that motivated Jesus to endure all the agony and suffering was the people who would receive Him by faith, become a part of His family, and join Him in heaven.
Jesus said that there is great joy in heaven over one person who repents. Every sinner who come to faith in Christ causes heaven to ring with shouts of praise and joy. Hallelujah!!!!!
I am moved by a gospel entitled "He Showed Me The Faces." It is The story of a preacher who dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel. He toiled in lonely, backwater places and no one seemed to notice or care that he sacrificed himself in His service to Christ. But worse than that, he did not see much fruit for his labors. After he died, he stood at the Judgment Seat of Christ. His head hung low in shame before the Master because he had such meager results for his years of ministry. But then Jesus told him to turn around and look. And when he did, he saw many people that he had ministered to on earth, and each one was in heaven because of his labor of love.
We may not see much that is accomplished through our service to the Lord Jesus here on this earth. But heaven will record what was done through our efforts, whether it is our personal witness, our prayers, our ministry in the church, or our financial support of missionaries. It will be a great time of rejoicing as we see people we have helped to get there. This will be our glory and our joy.
Love, Dad
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