We are waiting for our connecting flight from Heathrow in London to Edinburgh in Scotland. I have a few minutes to be still and pay attention to what God wants me to think about and do today.
It is an unselfish thing, according to my devotional reading. He simply wants me to be joyful when others are joyful.
The verse is, “Rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15). On the surface, this seems a command to be people-centered, to forget about myself so that when others are happy about something, I can be happy with them. However, I think this goes deeper than that.
I just started reading a book about the passion of God for His glory. It says something that I have been thinking about for a long time; that God is a joyful God and takes great delight in giving us His joy. Our problem is that we are terribly preoccupied by trying to be happy without His help.
Once I thought if I had a big house I would be happy. For many people, that big house could be a fancy car or a solid marriage or a trip around the world. The dreams and wishes come and go, but whatever we want, it is seldom God. Oh, I want Him too, but how long it has taken me to realize that He is all I need.
Move the clock ahead a few hours. (My time in Heathrow was cut short because someone announced that the departure gate for our flight changed and we had to hike 10-12 minutes to another one.) We are in a quaint little cottage in Perth. It is lightly but steadily raining. The flowers are in full bloom. Everything is green and lovely and very, very wet.
I’ve been thinking all afternoon about the joy of God. As I do, He seems to be delighted that I am because He is flooding me with it. Our hosts are joyful too. I just noticed that they have filled the bookshelf in our suite with Christian books. The reason for their joy is almost certainly because they know the God who gives joy. They have it, and it is easy to be joyful with them.
This is what this verse means. Oh, it could be that I should be happy when a friend wins a prize or accomplishes something remarkable, but “rejoice with those who rejoice” is about sharing the joy of Jesus with others who have His joy. This is a joy that doesn’t need a reason. It is just here in our hearts. God is with us and when we share in His joy, He is glorified because we are demonstrating what He is like.
God needs no reasons for joy because this is part of who He is. Circumstances can’t mess with His joy because He knows all about everything and what He is going to do about all of it. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows that ultimately, Jesus wins, and I know it too. It would take a lot more than a damp day in Scotland to rob me of His joy, and even of the delight in being able to share it with others.
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