by Barrett Vanlandingham
February 10, 2019 (original version January 12, 2006)
Hallelujah! There are well over 300 references to the words joy and rejoice in the Bible. And why wouldn’t there be? Galatians 5:22-23 says joy is a quality of the Holy Spirit. Luke says the gift of the Holy Spirit dwells inside every baptized believer (Acts 2:38). Joy is not only a blessing for those who walk with God on this side of eternity, but our actions can also cause joy in heaven.
Luke 15 tells three parables that end in rejoicing when
someone turns from the ways of the world, and instead chooses to walk with God.
This process of turning to God is called repentance. It’s a lifestyle that
absolutely matters, and brings joy on earth and in heaven. Even when we feel
that no one cares if we make good choices, rejoicing takes place on a scale
that we cannot imagine. Jesus said, “There is rejoicing in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). So who besides angels
are the presence of angels? God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
And as if that were not enough, the writer of Hebrews tells
us we are surrounded by generations of faithful men and women. They act as a great
cloud of witnesses to encourage us to throw off sin and run a strong race,
imitating our Savior who experienced joy in spite of the cross (Hebrews
12:1-3).
In the song “How Great Thou Art” there is a line that says,
“When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation.” The description is of the
greatest joy-filled standing ovation of all time, when Christ comes to take us
home. That will be a day to experience, when we get to express to Jesus, face
to face, our gratitude for His grace. But for thousands of years now,
Christians who say yes to God and no to the devil have already been receiving thunderous
applause from all who dwell in heaven.
Now, imagine God looking at Jesus and saying, “It’s time,
let’s go bring’em home.” What a glorious day that will be!
Let’s all make plans to rejoice on that day, along with all
those who are called to our heavenly home.
Have a great week!