Oh, the Joy of it!

Read: Psalm 32:1-2; Matthew 5:3; Luke 7:36-50

It is that time again. When the old year slips quietly into the background, making room for the new one.  Sometimes, it is a time of pondering, and so, I was once again thinking of a question that I have been asked many times. "Do you think we are doing all we can to tell people the Good News?" My answer? I'm not certain; however, I know each of us who belongs to Jesus have a precious commodity to hold out to those around us.

Something that everyone would love to have. It is joy, and we have it because regardless of our stations in life, we share the sweetest joy there is. We have been cleansed from all sin. Totally forgiven, Psalm 32:1-2, and because this is true, our lives can resonate with joy. We have something precious to hold out, and as with all precious gifts, we have the joy of displaying what we have been given, but we are not responsible concerning whether or not others want to receive its truth and beauty. What a comforting thought that is.

With that in mind, let's look at two examples of the joy of being forgiven. One from the Old Testament and One from the New Testament. In Psalm 32:1-2, we come face to face with King David. We meet him here after his failures and sins have been acknowledged and confessed. What a life of ups and downs the sweet singer of Israel lived. Perhaps that's why some of us can relate to him. Many of us have also experienced victories and defeats that we could never have imagined would be a part of our stories. In 2 Samuel 11, we read the sad story of King David's fall. This chapter chronicles the bad news that occurred before the good news that we read about in Psalm 32:1-2. Bad choices keep popping up in this chapter. A lack of repentance caused David to sink lower and lower. Adultery, murder, lies and cover-ups were prevalent in this part of David's story. However, praise God! In 2 Samuel 12, we read the sweet words that "God sent the prophet Nathan to David." It was time for God's king to come clean. It is at this juncture of the story that David repented and he received not rejection from the Lord but cleansing and forgiveness. Oh, the joy of being washed from his sins! All of that wickedness was not beyond the scope of the grace of God! No wonder David could boldly pray that God would restore to him the joy of his salvation, Psalm 51:12! David didn't live the remainder of his life wallowing in guilt because of his sin; instead, he rejoiced in the grace that the Lord poured over him.

Now, let's look into Luke 7:36-50. Here we meet a religious man and a sinful woman. The man was named Simon, and we never learn the lady's name. Simon had invited Jesus to a dinner, but he hadn't invited the lady who had come because she had learned that Jesus would be there. Talk about an awkward situation, but not for the Savior. There she was weeping at Jesus' feet. Drying his feet with her unbound hair. Anointing them with precious ointment. Surely these beautiful acts came out of a heart of repentance, but Simon couldn't see that. He saw only that she was a sinner. Surely Simon and Jesus looked at this woman through two sets of very different eyes. Simon looked at her with contempt and judgment. Jesus looked at her with eyes of love. I love the story Jesus told Simon. It was all about grace that was held out. There were two debtors. Neither could pay the debt he owed. Graciously, the one who was owed the money canceled both debts. I wonder if Simon ever figured out that Jesus was talking not only about the lady whose sin debt was large but his own debt that he couldn't pay.

How beautiful it is that Jesus not only spoke of the woman's having been forgiven, He also affirmed her because of her love for Him. He spoke highly of her in the presence of many who likely looked at her with disdain. Like King David, she was forgiven and cleansed. Loved by the Lord. Can we imagine the joy she experienced having had her life turned upside down!

Two people who lived centuries apart. A King and a prostitute. There was not much they had in common concerning their lives, but they shared the sweetest thing. They both needed forgiveness and cleansing, and they both received it. Both of them realized that they were poor in spirit, Matthew 5:3. They did not contribute anything to their cleansing and forgiveness. It was a gift from the Lord. A place where Jesus could meet them with His joy.

Many of us have experienced both sadness and blessings during the year that has just passed. There have been both laughter and tears, but if we have been born anew and made new creatures in Christ, John 3:3;2 Corinthians 5:17, our lives are storehouses of joy. There is not one sin that will be held against us, Romans 8:1. Jesus won't bring up a forgotten transgression and hold it over our heads. His grace will never run dry or come to an end. Reasons to rejoice for sure! With the enabling of the Holy Spirit, let's ask the Lord to allow that truth to shine through our eyes this year. Maybe the joy others see will open a door to share the Good News.