Heavenly Joy

Psalm 40:7,8

A truth concerning Jesus' coming in our flesh, and concerning His ministry until He was crucified, that is often overlooked or brushed aside is stated prophetically in Psalm 40:7,8, where we read, "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do Thy will, O my God:  yea, Thy law is written in my heart."

Here we have characterized not only His work, during His whole life here below, but also the indispensable requirement for Him to be our Savior. God's love must be written in His heart, and He must do God's will without one moment of interruption, and without one sinful thought or desire.

If Jesus is guilty of only one sin, He cannot save us from our sins. Then He must die for His own sin. If Adam's sin is handed down to Him through an earthly father, salvation is hopeless for us. But no, God's law is written in His heart. As the Son of God no evil thought or desire has arisen in His heart. His heart wants to keep God's law perfectly, even after He came into our flesh. Only such a Savior will God accept as the sacrifice for our sins.

This also speaks volumes of what He will do in us. For us He suffered and died. In us He will implant God's law, that is a perfect love for God. He has earned for us, and will when He returns give to us, bodies and souls completely freed from sin.  He will make us sing with Him (PRC Psalter):

    Then, O my God, I come, I come, 
    Thy purpose to fulfill;
    Thy law is written in my heart, 
    'Tis joy to do Thy will.

He will cause us to come before God's face in the new creation, and there our only desire will be to serve Him fully. We will serve with perfect and unceasing joy, doing what He wills to have us do

What a change that is going to be! Now we have only a small beginning of that joy and obedience. But keep before your minds that Christ came to make us like Himself, and not simply to take away our guilt. He came to take away the power of sin that now rules us, and to make us love God with our whole being. That heavenly joy is in store for us.

Read: Jeremiah 31:31-34 
Psalter versification: #109:2

Daily Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter #182
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Numbers 30; Numbers 31:1-54 
Luke 4:1-30 
Psalm 63:1-11 
Proverbs 11:20-21 
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Quote for Reflection:

"All of covenant life is a matter of the vow by the name of God and of the keeping of that vow in honor of the name of God. Baptism, whether of adult or child, imposes the vow to cleave to the triune God, to forsake the world, to crucify the old nature, and to walk in a new and holy life. How many baptized persons turn from God run with the world, yield to the old nature, and abandon the narrow way of a holy life, as soon as the life required by Christian baptism becomes difficult and costly! ...Presenting a child for baptism involves a vow by the parents that they will bring up the child in the fear of the Lord to the utmost of their ability, in the church, in the home, and in good Christian schools. How many fathers and mothers deliberately break their vows by neglect, by failure to discipline, by abuse, by the devastation of the children that is caused by divorce, by entrusting the children to apostate or apostatizing churches, and by enrolling the children in schools that are not founded on the Word of God! The reason is that the parents find it costly to keep their vow." --Prof. David Engelsma