Advent Devotional: Day 9
“… and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”
Think back to someone you have loved. If you had never seen them, how could you have loved them?
Fifty something years ago, while giving blood at Roswell Hospital, I saw a med tech. I knew right away that I wanted to ask her out. On our first date, I knew I wanted to marry her. But how could I love her if I hadn’t seen her first?
It’s interesting that the Greek word that Peter uses, that has been translated into the English “love”, is the word agape. In “The Four Loves”, C. S. Lewis uses agape to describe the highest level of love known to humanity: a selfless love that is passionately committed to the well-being of others. So, this is no ordinary love that the recipients of Peter’s letter are showing to Christ. It’s certainly higher than my love was fifty plus years ago. Peter goes on to state that “even though you do not see him now, you believe in him ...” What does it mean to “believe in him”? It means more than just agreeing that Jesus at one time walked on the Earth.
There’s a story of a tight-rope walker who stretched a rope across Niagara Falls and went back and forth to the crowd’s delight. He then asked the crowd if they believed he could do the same pushing a wheelbarrow. When they answered in the affirmative, he asked for a volunteer to ride across in the wheelbarrow with him. He had no takers.
If Jesus had been pushing the wheelbarrow, those Peter is writing to would have gotten in. Theirs was more than just a belief that Jesus was. Theirs was a trust in Him for their very existence. And that is what led to the last part of the verse “… filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”
What has all this to do with Christmas? While Christmas can be filled with excitement and happiness and good times, it is the follower of Christ who, no matter what the season, is “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”
“Lord, help us to be filled with that kind of joy. Help us to trust You more!”
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