While last week we looked at the intrinsic joy of God, which is a part of His nature, today we want to continue that theme. Jesus' parables on the shepherd's great joy over finding one lost sheep, and the woman's great joy over finding the one lost coin is akin to the joy of God and all of heaven when one sinner repents and is saved.
Some tend to think of God as enjoying punishing sinners. But God desires that none should perish, and all come to the knowledge of His Son, and put their trust in Him and be saved.
All heaven rejoices when even one sinner repents. The angels reflect the joy of God in this. As God rejoices, so do His holy angels.
As imitators of God, we ought also to take great joy over the salvation of any sinner. Sometimes, we hate a person because of their "great" sins and their effect on the lives of others. However, when we stop judging ourselves by ourselves, we can begin to realize that ALL HAVE SINNED and FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.
In God's sight, each one of us is in need of the same amount of grace in order to be saved. And each one of us who comes to faith in Christ is just as much cause as any other for rejoicing.
If all heaven rejoices, we ought to join in the rejoicing. |
