Make My Joy Complete: How the Church Should be a Joy to Pastors and Christ

This past week I went to J-Gen for the first time, at which I was a counselor. It was there in the Reidger Chapel at Taylor University that God opened my eyes to something that I should have been able to see since the beginning in the Church as a pastor: Joy. It is odd, but at long last I get those verse where Paul goes "Make my joy complete..." or Jesus says "that your joy may be complete"--this I am sure would make Christian Hedonists everywhere smile, but even still. I get it now. Before I could never understand how that could be a Godly thing to beg others to complete my own joy, but I get it! Make my Joy Complete! Although it seems selfish, my own joy is bound up with their faith and God's glory. I should indeed be filled with great joy as I see God being truly worshipped! How amazing will heaven be as I not simply worship, love, trust, and rejoice in God myself but as I rejoice in everyone else's worship--as I rejoice in God being glorified! What else could bring more joy to my heart, mind, eyes, ears, and soul than to see God Almighty, the One and Only Forever, glorified by all for all! My joy is for God's Best! My joy is for their best too! I beg them to make my joy complete, because it is my joy to have them continue in the faith for eternity, in ontology and activity! Indeed, since so many fall away, how great indeed is my joy when one person trusts in God for now and for always no matter the cost! How great is my joy when God is glorified by comparison instead of contrast! My joy is their faith exploding over into everyday life everyday! I rejoice to see my sheep--all sheep--worship God and to love and hope and trust in God--the One and Only God, who Is the GREAT I AM and who Is THE HOLY TRINITY! O how I rejoice in the exceeding joy of real faith being in my sheep--in all sheep--and that same faith going out in practice in Glory, Love, Trust, Hope, and Zeal for God all filled with Joy in Him!

I rejoice when girls starving themselves see their Hope in Christ and that True Beauty is first about being Beautiful to God--that such obsession with skinniness is just foolishness of the flesh, world, and devil--O how I rejoice to see girls see that being Beautiful to God comes way before looking "Beautiful" to the world--Indeed, Sarah was often (even in her old age) desirable to the world, but she clothed herself with submissiveness to Abraham. Godliness knocks socks off! O how I rejoice in men realizing the shallow and depraved foolishness of adulterous self-indulgence! O how I rejoice with men as they gut the idol of porn with the Holy Spirit's aid! O how I rejoice when impurity and sexual immorality leaves the sheep of my Good Shepherd! O how I rejoice when self-destruction and self-obsession vanish from the bodies and minds of the sheep of God! O how I rejoice when those in fear praise God for faith and courage! O how I rejoice when Christ's sheep hear His Voice and obey in faith! O how I rejoice when the sinner repents! O how I rejoice when there is Unity in the Body of Christ and Fidelity in Marriages down deep into even the passing impulses of the soul! O how I rejoice when God is Glorified in all things in all ways always! O how I rejoice when God's Word becomes the Anchor of Hope and Faith and Life and Love in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit according to the Sovereign Will of the Father! O how I rejoice when my sheep--all sheep--study God's Word passionately and lovingly endlessly, all the while in all things in all ways in all times praying as Christ does in complete and total faith and zeal and passion and emotion to God, their Hearer! O how I rejoice in the faith, hope, love, joy, and unity of Christ's Bride the Church! O how I rejoice as He washes us with the Word removing any and every blemish! O how I rejoice in all this and more! O how I rejoice in our rapture to Christ! O how I rejoice in the Holy Trinity's being glorified in us, the Body and Bride of Christ!

Brothers and Sister, please make my Joy Complete!