Joy Beyond Description - Matthew 25:21

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” - Matthew 25:21

To hear our almighty God speak these words to us presents an indescribable glory reserved only for those whom God takes extreme pleasure in. On the day of His return are these the words we will hear? Were we to take the greatest pleasures of the world and aptly describe them in the most articulate way possible we would never even come close to what God has in store for us. “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’” - 1 Corinthians 2:9. The joy of the Lord resides in our eternal salvation in heaven.
A joy beyond human description can only be a joy that we share with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Christ as the cornerstone of our faith we will never know such joy. This is what Jesus brought to the manger. This is what Jesus brought to Calvary. This is what Jesus raised from the grave on Easter Sunday, a joy beyond description. Let us all share in the joy and the glory that began in a humble manger on Christmas Day!
                                                       Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
                                                       Let earth receive her King;
                                                       Let every heart prepare Him room,
                                                      And heav’n and nature sing,
                                                      And heav’n and nature sing,
                                                      And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.

God’s Merciful Justice - Habakkuk 3:2

O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid;
O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2
                                       

The death toll continues to climb as Islamic Jihadists take one life after another. And like Habakkuk we cry out, “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save?” Habakkuk 1:2. And just as in Habakkuk’s day our nation is as foul and sinful as was Judah. When we wonder how much worse things can become we find a greater threat on the horizon: Islamic terror. We often think of Russia as being our greatest national security threat just as in the prophet’s day when Assyria seemed to be the threat of the moment. Yet God’s plan involved bringing Babylon to the forefront. It seems that perhaps God has also seen fit to bring radical Islam to the forefront in our time.
What we must remember is God’s infinite mercy. No matter how terrible the events that take place in our time. No matter how harsh the apparent wrath of God may be for us. We must remember three things. (1) We, as a nation, have abandoned God; it is not the other way around. (2) The world around us has always been the purview of Satan and his demons, and (3) it is incumbent upon us to return to God. “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” - 2 Chronicles 7:14.
The NY Daily News published it’s headline on December 3rd, 2015 - “God Isn’t Fixing This.” The paper’s point was that prayer is useless in the fight against violence. Prayer is never useless; we have become useless without prayer. Look at our schools, our culture, our government, and our place in the world. Prayer is not the problem; not praying enough is! Despite the News’s headline God is indeed fixing this, although not in the way they would expect . . . and perhaps not in the way we would either. If God is using the modern Babylonians to punish us for abandoning Him then nothing we will ever do will stop the onslaught. We must return to Him. This is His command to us. And we must pray! Then and only then He will be quick to forgive us and heal our land.