DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - THURSDAY: God’s Desire For His People Today

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love -- Mother Teresa
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For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering… -- Col 1:9-11 (KJV)

As we conclude our series on ‘God's desire for his people today’... we have been looking at Paul’s desire for the Colossians, where he prayed that they would be filled with the knowledge of His will, to walk worthy, be fruitful and increase in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all His might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering, and what Paul desired for them, is also what God desires for his people today…

TO BE JOYFULLY THANKFUL
and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. -- Col 1:11-12 . Being thankful is wonderful, but to give it joyfully is fantastic! The reason we are to be joyfully thankful is that…

HE HAS QUALIFIED US
Jesus has made us eligible, through His death on the cross and His resurrection, for adoption by the Father into His family! Wow! Who wouldn’t be joyfully thankful...?

Ø Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. -- Ps 95:2
Ø But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. -- 1 Cor 15:57
Ø ....always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- Eph 5:20

There is nothing that pleases the Father more, than to see His children full of joy and thankfulness! The cause of our joyful thankfulness is that we have been adopted and now…

SHARE IN THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS
We have been brought into His marvellous Kingdom of Light! Our inheritance is a partnership, with every believer having an equal portion! This is absolutely magnificent, keeping in mind… There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. -- Gal 3:28.

Paul explains that the Lord removes all ethnic, racial, national, social, and gender distinctions, with regard to one’s spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ, in the family of God!

Watchman Nee tells about a new convert who came in deep distress to see him. "No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I'm losing my salvation." Nee said, "Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog; my son is my heir. You are Jesus Christ's heir because it is for you that He died." We are Christ's heirs, not through our perfection but by means of His grace. -- Unknown.

Let us be joyfully thankful to the Lord today, by accepting His desire for us… no matter what the cost is!

Loving Father, I am joyfully thankful that I am your child, sharing in the inheritance of the saints, because Jesus my Lord and Saviour, has brought me into the kingdom of light through His death on the cross and His resurrection! Lord, I accept your desire for me no matter what the cost is, and I ask you to help me in this, by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus precious name I pray! Amen!