When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced.

 

Saturday, June 24, 2023


Psalms 130; 131; 133

1 Samuel 17:41-54

Acts 11:19-30


Observance: Birth of John the Baptist


When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced.


An American women’s softball team was interviewed recently after winning an important game. Four of the women and their coach sat behind the desk, in front of the wall emblazoned with sponsor's logos, and gave me the most singular response to a certain question they were asked by a sports journalist. They had been asked about the fact that they had managed to pull through and snatch a victory at a critical point in the competition, vindicating all their hard work in the season preceding. Each of the four players, one after another, without fail, looked straight at the crowd and told them that their joy came from the Lord Jesus. Whether they had won or lost was immaterial to their joy in the Lord. (Winning was, of course, great – but not the source of their joy.)


It is a testament to the opportunity we have in this age of the internet that someone like me, on the other side of the world and less than no knowledge of the game of softball, can sit in front of a screen and discover their joy in the Lord. I can tell you, I was walking on clouds after watching that video!


The Lord Jesus is a wellspring of joy – but what does this mean when we translate it into a real life example?


The answer is that the joy of the Lord is infectious. God in Trinity is the source of all joy. God then enters into the life of an individual and they are changed forever – the conversion of joy. Fellow Christians around them see this conversion and rejoice with the new believer. Then the word gets out – did you hear about the conversions over in such a town, or country?


Something was brewing in Antioch. Those in Jerusalem had to send someone – Barnabas – down the road to see what was going on. What he found stunned him: he saw the grace of God. And what did he do? He rejoiced.


We are all messengers of the Lord. When we go and speak to others about Jesus, let us keep in mind the potential, the wonder that will come about when they do convert: rejoicing, all the way down from heaven and back up again, the joy of the Lord filling the earth.

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