Paul reminds us in Hebrews 12 that God treats us as His children when He sees us doing wrong. He corrects us and chastens us and brings forth the
peaceable fruit of righteousness from us. In chapter 4 of this same book, Paul reminds us of what we read in the Old Testament, speaking of Christ as being "touched with the feelings
of our infirmities" (Hebrews 4:15). Just like the physical head of a human body registers the pain that is located in all other parts of the anatomy, so Christ as head of the Church, is
touched and moved by the affliction of every member of that spiritual Body. When we hurt, no matter what the cause, He suffers with us. And just as with ancient Israel, when we are
afflicted, He too shares the pain. What an intimate, close, personal relationship! We must believe this truth and come to ACCEPT it into our minds and lives. It should wash
over us and cover us and imbue us at all times.
Is God's love for you, His involvement in your life, so real, so special, so truly overwhelming that you cannot help but shout for joy? Does the
unique relationship that you enjoy with God bring tears to your eyes, genuine contentment to your life, real peace and overflowing joy to you, no matter what your physical circumstances
might happen to be at any given moment? Time after time, David admonishes us to rejoice, to show forth our joy, letting it burst out like a dam breaking, like a river flooding its banks. In
Psalms 5, we read:
"Let all those that put their trust in You rejoice; Let them SHOUT FOR JOY. because You defend them; let them also that love your name be joyful
in You. For you, O Lord (Yahweh), will bless the righteous; with favor you will compass him as with a shield" (Psalm 5: 11-12).
On still another occasion, David said:
"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you righteous; and SHOUT FOR JOY, all you that are upright in heart...O clap your hands, all you people;
shout unto God with the voice of triumph...If your children will keep My covenant and My testimony that I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon your throne forevermore. For
the Lord has chosen Zion (spiritually, the Church!); He has DESIRED IT FOR HIS HABITATION. This is My rest forever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it...I will also clothe her
priests with salvation; and her saints shall SHOUT ALOUD FOR JOY" (Psalm 32:11; 47:1; 132:12-16).
What a fantastic description of God's undying love and His deep desire for the Church. This applies directly to you and me, if indeed we are a part
of that genuine calling. And if we are, then we must ask ourselves to what extent these words are applicable in the practical sense to each of us personally. Are you truly happy in the
Lord? Is He your true source of real joy and peace or does it, quite honestly, come to a great extent from the world, from the environment and circumstances you find yourself in this life?
Does your heart really SHOUT FOR JOY? David even said that the saints would "SHOUT ALOUD," so great, so real, so overwhelming would be their joy!!
The Apple of His Eye
When God speaks of Zion in the Old Testament, there is always an excellent chance that He is referring in a dual manner - to Jerusalem or to the
spiritual Church. Zion is, in fact, a symbol or type of the New Testament Church. With this in mind, notice the eloquent statement of Isaiah:
"For Zion's sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and
the salvation thereof as a lamp that burns. And the Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of Yahweh shall
name. You shall be a CROWN OF GLORY in the hand of the Lord, and a ROYAL DIADEM in the hand of your God...as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice
over you...you that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and GIVE HIM NO REST till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth...Go through the gates;
prepare you the way of the people...Say you to the daughter of Zion (end-time Church!), Behold your salvation comes; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. And they shall
call them, THE HOLY PEOPLE, THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD; and you shall be called a city not forsaken" (Isaiah 62).
God tells us to see and appreciate and accept His love so completely that we cannot help but shout for joy. Then He Himself tells us that He will
ultimately rejoice over us! He commands us to "GIVE HIM NO REST"!! Brethren, I strongly second that powerful statement! Indeed, let us resolve here and now to re-dedicate ourselves,
to re-apply ourselves to fervent, prevailing prayer each day, praying for the Kingdom of God, praying for the work of God, praying for the will of God to be done, both in the Church and in
the world. In other words, we must make it a point ;to give our God NO REST. Do not keep silent before Him. He wants to hear our pleas. He wants to hear our heartfelt cries, tears
and supplications. Pour them out - Persevere, hang in there, keep it up, put on the pressure, keep coming back again and again and again just like the importunate widow. Become a nuisance, keep pestering God time after time, beseeching Him for the many needs of the Church and the world. Give Him no rest until He has established His Kingdom upon this earth and
His great Son is ruling from Jerusalem!
Isaiah described you and me as a crown of glory in the hand of God and a royal diadem. The prophet Malachi elaborated on this theme by saying:
"Then they that feared Yahweh (the Lord) spoke often one to another, and the Lord darkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written
before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be MY JEWELS; and I will spare them as a man spares his own son that serves him"
(Malachi 3:16-17).
And in the same vein, Zechariah writes:
"And the Lord their God shall save them (saints) in that day, as the flock of His people, for they shall be as STONES OF A CROWN -lifted up
as an ensign upon His land" (Zechariah 9:16).
The love of God is so pure, so strong, so special that it ought to well up in us and spring forth like a geyser! Our appreciation, our realization,
our reaction ought to be one of shouting for joy, of singing the praises of our God, of extolling Him, so much so that even in the face of persecution and death, we should "Leap FOR
JOY" (Luke 6:22-23)!! Is this your constant state of mind, your true attitude, or is that still a goal you have yet to reach? Be honest with yourself and with God in this matter. You
must come to really know and understand your relationship with God and be able to accurately judge the quality of that relationship at all times. In fact, forthrightly coming to grips with
this issue could prove to be the most significant and necessary aspect of your spiritual life. Take the matter directly to God. Confront Him on it. Get down on your knees and don't get up
until you have poured out your heart to Him fully. If you will persist in this sort of effort, seeking him in this way, He will unequivocally begin to answer you. He will not leave you in
the dark for long.
How much does God love you and me? How close is He to His chosen people? There is a passage in the Scriptures that is so sublime that it ranks at the
very top - one of the most eloquent statements in all the Bible. In Zephaniah 3, we read the following words. Please realize that they are written about you and me:
"Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord has taken away your
judgments, He has cast out your enemy; the King of Israel, even Yahweh, is in the midst of you; you shall not see evil anymore...The Lord your God in the midst of you is mighty; He will
save, He will REJOICE OVER YOU with joy; He will rest in His love, He will JOY OVER YOU WITH SlNGING...at that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you;
for I will make you a name and a praise among all the people of the earth" (Zephaniah 3:14-20).
Can you even begin to imagine the kind of pure joy that God the Father Himself has over His own children? How greatly does He anticipate the day when
His divine Family will actually be born? How precious are we to Him? He has already paid the highest possible price for us. Now He anxiously awaits our full birth. In His righteous zeal He
will stir Himself up, He will powerfully perform whatever is necessary to bring the day of our salvation to pass. And when that times comes, He will rejoice over us. When Christ comes
breaking through the clouds in the power and glory of His Second Advent, Almighty God in Heaven will SING FOR JOY over His children!!! Can you picture God singing over you?
Quite a staggering thought, isn't it?!!
The message is astonishingly clear. When we are put into the Body of Christ, it is the image of God with which we must be imbued - not merely proving
ourselves, but by relinquishing our dependence upon our own self-image in favor of allowing God to project Himself through us. This is what is meant when we say that one should YIELD to the Spirit. Therefore, we should be able to let go of worries and anxieties. Health, appearance, abilities - all of these things are rapidly slipping away. Dependence upon our own
self-image, our will, must then submit to a freeing, joyful and complete leaning upon God's own image.
Yes, it is true that we do perhaps lose a certain amount of autonomy and ego, but the rewards are so much greater than anything we give up in this
great cause. We are to be swallowed up by Christ's Body. John says that we must abide in Christ. He is our home and we are to be built up into a perfect dwelling place for Him. We
are the sweet savor or aroma of Christ to God, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 2:15. We shine like stars of the universe (Philippians 2:15). We are considered as "holy and
blameless in His sights" (Ephesians 1:14).
We, you and I, are GOD'S DELIGHT! - HIS PRIDE AND JOY! we are the restoration and reproduction of His own perfect
spiritual image here on earth. When He sees us, He sees HIS OWN PERFECT SON! We, you and I, have been granted the priceless privilege to be judged in this calling, not so much
for what we are, for we ourselves are truly nothing, but for what Christ is and can and will be through us. Paul summed it all up by saying:
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes
from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Brethren, love your God, focusing upon and dwelling upon that profound, unspeakable love. But at the same time, I say to you, LET GOD LOVE YOU!!
Don't permit your own self, your own sin and shortcoming, your own particular set of circumstances, to cause you to not accept the love of God that is so richly poured out on your behalf.
Don't allow the things of your past or present condition, no matter how they may currently appear to you, to rob you of your joy and peace that comes from passing across that barrier and
letting God love you, accepting His love, recognizing and admitting your own special relationship with Him, your own unique standing with the Creator Himself. Believe it, desire it, cherish
it, receive it, bask in it, revel in it, let it move you and please you beyond all expression. You are a child of the Living God! Your calling is the highest possible for any human being on
the face of the earth! Your place in the first resurrection will ensure your exalted position forever in the eternal family of our God. Rejoice in it, praise God for it, thank Him every day
for it, sing about it, leap for joy, shouting all the way!!!
The remaining days, months and years are going to be hard ones for this world and that includes the Church as well The full assurance of knowing who
you really are, of allowing God's pure love to cover your life, to permeate your inner being, to fill you with inspiration and revelation, will be the chief source of sustaining peace and
joy as times get increasingly more difficult for God's people.
In your most trying hour of sorrow or suffering, of persecution or affliction, remember this one thing: You are THE APPLE OF GOD'S
EYE!!!! You are the one, no matter what your personal circumstances might be, over whom Almighty God Himself will sing and rejoice! Therefore, live your life as that peculiar
treasure of the Lord, as the chosen generation, as the royal priesthood. To God, you are inexpressibly close and precious. You are His chosen one, bought and paid for by the blood of Christ
Himself. He surely will exalt you and glorify you as His divine child forever ALL THINGS ARE YOURS - through the unsurpassed love of your Heavenly Father!
Written by: Jim Rector
