March 31, 2020 (Tuesday)
We rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory! (1 Peter 1:8 KJV)
Our hymn today is “Joy Unspeakable and Full of Glory.” When we hear this song, or, better still, when we sing it, the room is filled with euphoria, the presence of God, and praises. The last words of the chorus are taken from the Old Testament, “The half has never been told,” a description of Solomon’s magnificent kingdom by the Queen of Sheba. But here it is quoted as a description of the incredible joy of coming to know, personally, the Lord Jesus Christ. It begins with the declaration, “We have found the Christ who’s all in all.” The hymn builds on that with each verse: “We have found the Holy Spirit,” “We have found the Christian life,” “We have found the church,” and “We have found fellowship with God’s children.” No wonder this song overflows with feelings of joy.
I remember an older middle-aged couple in Dallas who accepted Christ and became members of the church. One day in her exuberance the wife loudly praised the Lord, saying, “Before, we thought we were happy; now we are really happy.” And they were, without a doubt, really happy to be God’s children by His grace, as they demonstrated their faith daily in their testimony to others.
No wonder we have songs like, “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms.”
I have read of very poor people finding out that they were actually rich, with lots of money in the bank. Could it be that some of us Christians do not yet understand just how rich we are, spiritually? When we discover our riches in Christ, we have a joy that is difficult to describe–unspeakable.
JOY UNSPEAKABLE
Barney Elliot Warren
1900
CHORUS:
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Full of glory, full of glory;
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
And the half has never yet been told!
VERSES:
1. We have found the Christ who’s all in all;
He is everything to us;
O how blest upon His name to call,
How divine, how glorious!
2. We have found that Christ the Spirit is
Who within our spirit dwells;
How available, how near He is,
And His sweetness all excels.
3. We have found the way to live by Christ—
Pray His Word and call His name!
This—the eating, drinking—has sufficed
And its worth we now proclaim.
4. We have found the local church, our home;
We are home and home indeed!
Nevermore in Babylon we roam;
In the church is all we need.
5. We have found that meeting with the saints
Is the greatest joy on earth;
’Tis by this our spirit never faints
And our lives are filled with worth.
At the close of each Tuesday blog I write about the presidents, in the order of their service.
Today’s president is
William Howard Taft – The 27th President