Jesus did so much in His life and finished work on the cross. It is important that you know this because He graciously gave it to you, Beloved. He wants you to have it. The first step to receiving His gifts is to recognize that you have sinned, then “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (NASB, Romans 10:9).
For you to recognize the depth of its significance, Beloved, in order to understand the importance of your receiving these gifts, know this: The last prayer of a person is their most powerful one. That moment of time culminates in the fullness and completion of their intent and desire, the sum total of their life, in a grand finale. Stephen’s last prayer, in the manner of Jesus, forgave the sin of those who unjustly killed him. His final, powerful prayer resulted in the salvation experience of a young man, Saul. That young man grew into the powerful Apostle Paul, who almost single-handedly evangelized the majority of the Roman empire, planted churches throughout, and wrote almost one-half of the Bible’s New Testament. Stephen’s prayer is still impacting mankind and is impacting you right now.
After taking the Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus began His final prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and ended it on the cross. In the Garden, Jesus prayed for your joy.
Listen with your spirit, Beloved, “But now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world [kosmos, Strong’s G2889], that they may have My joy made full in themselves” (NASB, John 17:13).
A gargantuan task was given to Jesus – and it is finished. To redeem and reconcile mankind and Creation to Heavenly Father all that the first Adam lost.
Remember, Beloved, mankind and Creation existed in beauty and union with Father and Heaven the way Father designed it. Disobedience fractured, broke, and fragmented both mankind and Creation. As the last Adam, Jesus released the reconciliation and redemption to transform and restore to union both mankind and Creation to Father.
Jesus now rules from Heaven until everything is brought under His leadership. “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death,” (NASB, 1 Corinthians 15:25-26). He impacted Creation as well as mankind. After His work on the cross, Jesus descended then ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things (Ephesians 4:10).
Here is where your part comes in, Beloved. You are living in the times of Father’s administration to reunite everything in the last Adam, Jesus. “. . .as a plan [administration] for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, which are in heaven and on earth” (MEV, Ephesians 1:10).
It is all finished in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. At the same time, you are living out the process of being restored to union with Father through Jesus, as Adam had. That can go slow or quick, depending on your trust remaining steadfast in Father, or being restored so that you come into union with Father through His amazing love made known through Jesus.
Father chose you to, with Him, bring your sphere of Creation into union with Him and Heaven through the last Adam, who is Jesus.
In Heaven and on Earth, before The Fall of mankind, joy existed immeasurably. The spirit of Wisdom played in delight before Father as He designed Creation and delighted in mankind (Proverbs 8:12; 30-31). One of the ways eternity existed on earth at Creation was in joy. It is an ancient path which lay in ruins after The Fall.
Father created each person with specific and unique joy. It is a place of communion with Him. This unique joy which is intrinsic in your God-given spirit, Beloved, is not understood by other people in the flesh. It can only be grasped in the spirit. At present, there is still much in ourselves and Creation that needs to be brought into unification in and through Jesus. Many times, you’ve tried to share your joy, but rather than it positively impacting other people, they do not understand it and instead squash or steal it on accident many times.
Joy is a place of communion between you and your Heavenly Father – it is a place of co-creation with Him.
Cherish it in your heart with Him. Let it be yours shared with Him (not others). As you cherish it in your heart with Him, it grows, fills, and transforms you.
As the Word says, God is in Heaven, you are on earth, so let your words be few (Ecclesiastes 5:2). Be like Mary, the mother of Jesus, who treasured these things in her heart (Luke 2:51). As you’ve been treasuring the unique joy from Father in your heart and keeping your words few, you will feel peace and prompting from Holy Spirit when it is right and good to share your joy with others — and to celebrate their joy as well.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Hope Streams
Featured Image by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
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