In this two-part devotion I would like to share a few of the incredible present and future blessings of being a Christian. In part-one I will explore two of these awesome blessings and in part-two tomorrow I will share some of the amazing future blessings that await the Christian when he leaves this planet.
Peace
We read in (Philippians 4:6-7): “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” And (Psalm 119:165) tells us: “Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” For the Christian who has an attitude of gratitude, spends time in prayer, and meditates on the Scriptures, the Bible promises that they can experience a supernatural kind of peace that the world knows little about.
The reason why this peace is so special and unique is that no matter what circumstances you are going through, whether good or bad, God promises you peace. From the worldly perspective peace exists when things are calm. But Jesus promises us, yes, this type of peace, but also peace during the storms of life. In other words when everything is out of control you aren’t. As we draw closer to Jesus, we realize that God has everything under control, and we can trust Him to work all things for good to those who love Him. (Romans 8:28). Not only that but as we hide God’s word in our heart the more, we will keep our minds on Jesus with the result: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.” (Isaiah 26:3).
My friends one of the greatest blessings in living the Christian life is God’s promise of constant and abiding peace in all of life’s circumstances. Someone once said: No God – No Peace/Know God – know peace!
Joy
One of my favorite verses in the entire Bible is (Psalm 16:11): “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” This one verse shares three awesome promises. First, God promises to show us what our special purpose in life is. Second, He promises us the chance to experience total joy in this life as we spend time in His presence. And third, God promises us pleasures now that will last on into eternity. For now, I would like to focus on the incredible joy that being a Christian can afford us. The more we fall in love with Jesus, the more we will want to obey His commands. And the more we obey Him the more we will enter into His wonderful presence. And when this happens Jesus will shower us with fullness of joy!
And remember joy like peace doesn’t depend on circumstances but on being in the presence and will of the Lord. Joy is a by-product of being obedient to the Lord and thus it is something we can experience in all circumstances. Unlike happiness which depends on positive circumstances, joy can be experienced even when we suffer for Christ’s sake. One verse I strongly recommend you memorize that will help you when you take a stand for Jesus and flood you with joy is (Matthew 5:11-12): “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” For you see when we stand for Jesus, joy will always flood our hearts to overflowing.
In tomorrow’s part-two of this devotion be prepared to get excited as we see what awaits us when we are promoted to glory!