GOD’S WORD FOR MAY 20 ~ ~ 1 John 5:20~ ~ “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
Continuing in John Piper’s book, “The Pleasures of God”
Mr. Piper’s writings are deep as the ocean, most of us have to read it several times—-even learned theologians have said that. But, the rich harvest will show in your life if you take the time to re-read it and think and pray about it.
Yesterday he asked how God could set His affections on sinners like us, when He cannot take pleasure in anything but perfection.
He goes on ~ ~
But the wonder of the gospel is that in this divine righteousness lies also the VERY FOUNDATION of our salvation. The infinite regard that the Father has for the Son makes it possible for me, a wicked sinner, to be loved and accepted in the Son, because in His death He vindicated the worth and glory of His Father.
Ps 25:11 says, “For YOUR NAME’S SAKE, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.”
Jesus has atoned for our sin (if we’ve accepted it) and vindicated the Father’s honor so that are sins are forgiven ON ACCOUNT OF HIS NAME.(1John 2:12)
We will see how the fact that the pleasure of God in His Son is pleasure in Himself is not vanity. It is gospel.
Let us then stand in awe of this Great God! Let us turn from all the trivial resentments and fleeting pleasures and petty pursuits of materialism and merely human “spirituality” and let us be caught up into the gladness that God has in the glory of His Son, Who is the radiance of His image.
There is coming a day when the very pleasure that the Father has in the Son will be in us and will be our own pleasure!
May God’s enjoyment of God—unbounded and everlasting—flow into us even now by the Holy Spirit. This is our glory and our joy.
There is only one fountain of lasting joy, and that is the overflowing gladness of God in God.
Without beginning and without ending, without source and without cause, without assistance, the spring is eternally self-replenishing.
From this unceasing fountain of joy flow all grace and all joy in the universe.
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