Any man who can sit completely alone for long periods of time under the dome of heaven, and not contemplate the meaning of life, isn’t really alive.”
              –William Wayne Dicksion  (Sagebrush)

    “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”
              –1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT)
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Rough week?  I know it’s Friday, one more day to go, but I really don’t think the Lord much looks at what day of the week it is unless we miss the Lord’s Day.  I know that this old world can be a terror, and the people in it can raise havoc, cause stupidity, and bring about mayhem.
    Along with that we have this earthly body that is subject to pain and decay.  There are aches of all sorts, there are sores both physical and emotional to deal with.  There is even that word that seems to be always among us–pandemic, the virus of all viruses.  Coughs, sneezes, shortness of breath; aches in the knees, bursitis in the shoulder, arthritis in the fingers, rheumatism in the hips; kidney pain, diabetes, heart problems and with all of that throw in varicose veins and hemorrhoids.  
    Yes, we’re a mess and that’s not even discussing the political scene of our nation or the world.  It is not speaking of the dangers that loom in the Middle East, or North Korea, or China.  Therefore, on this Friday, I would send us into the weekend with some words of assurance and certainty.  Some of which I share this morning is borrowed from Kenneth W. Osbeck’s book, Beyond the Sunset.

         “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven.”
                   –2 Corinthians 5:1-2 (NKJV)

    I have always enjoyed the songs of Fanny Crosby.  From 1870 until her death in 1915, she wrote between eight and nine thousand hymns, more than any other writer.  The hymn I am presenting this morning has been one of my favorites, but in my later years I appreciate it more and more.  She said it came from the final message of a pastor friend who had died, “If each of us is faithful to the grace which is given us by Christ, that same grace which teaches us how to live will also teach us how to die.”  What a hymn, Saved By Grace!  What a message!  What a hope!

         Someday the silver cord will break,
         And I no more as now shall sing.
         But, O they joy when I shall wake
         Within the palace of the King!

         Someday my earthly house will fall;
         I cannot tell how soon ’twill be.
         But this I know–my All in All
         Has now a place in heav’n for me.

         Someday, when fades the golden sun
         Beneath the rosy-tinted west,
         My blessed Lord will say, “Well done!”
         And I shall enter into rest.

         Someday–till then I’ll watch and wait,
         My lamp all trimmed and burning bright,
         That when my Savior opes the gate,
         My soul to Him may take its flight.

                   And I shall see Him face to face,
                   And tell the story–saved by grace.
                   And I shall see Him face to face,
                   And tell the story–saved by grace.

    I believe that we will never fully comprehend “grace.”  It is a simple word, yet so profound in its spiritual meaning.  The above song was said to be a favorite of D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey.  When Ira Sankey went into a coma he was said to be singing the lines of the first verse–the last words he would utter this side of heaven.  Imagine what he was singing when he entered the portals of glory.

 He felt a new kind of weariness, one that was not physical, but which seemed to crawl through him like a fever.”
              –Luke Short (Marauder’s Moon)

    “They all fool and defraud each other; no one tells the truth. With practiced tongues they tell lies; they wear themselves out with all their sinning.”
              –Jeremiah 9:5 (NLT)
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Several years back I started separating materials into four stacks.  One was immediately thrown away as it contained material I wasn’t interested in, or material I didn’t understand, or material that was flat out not truthful.  The next stack contained good thoughts; thoughts that should be filed away until a later date.  Then there was the stack that I labeled “Use This.”  Much of this information made it into the Echoes.  Then there was the stack that hollered, “Now!”  
    I used to write in a more scholarly manner–proper style and grammar (except for a mistake here and there).  Except for Saturday when ol’ Ira always seemed to appear around the kitchen stove with a pot of coffee to discuss the issues of the world and the proper way to drink coffee.  Once in a while there may be a piece of pie thrown in if’n he had a mind to share.  Now, I write more for the “layman” whether is be for a nonacademic crowd or nontheological-minded group.  
    All of what I just wrote, leads to this morning‘s devotion that I pulled from the stack that contained good thoughts–a sermon by David Wilkerson in 2007.  So I drew from his thoughts as I wrote this morning; it seemed to be the time to use this information.  I want to draw your attention to a few Scriptures:

         “Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste.  Distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants.”
                   –Isaiah 24:1 (NKJV)

         “For in one hour such great riches came to nothing….”
                   –Revelation 18:17(NKJV)

The King James and the Amplified version say of the verse from Isaiah that the world will be “turned upside down.”  Now, the verse in Revelation refers to the city of “Babylon” during the Tribulation.  But think for a moment.  How long did it take the media to turn the virus into a pandemic that shook, and is still shaking the world?  How long did it take to promote a world to live in fear?  
    What Isaiah is referring to could be the Day of the Lord, or it could be destruction that will come because of rampant sin and terrible evil.  Whatever it refers to the destruction cannot be undone and mankind does not have the ability to respond. (David Wilkerson)  It is referring to a destruction that will shake the earth.  It is more than a pandemic over a virus for in an hour the livelihood of the country/nation/world will have changed.  Could it be nuclear war–an attack by Iran on Israel, North Korea on the South, or even China upon the United States?  
    There is, among some circles, a clamor for reparations regarding slavery that took place 150 years ago, while currently there are more slaves today than ever before, most involving sex-trafficking.  There is the horrible situation of murder of the unborn, the killing of the innocents on a scale never seen before.  A nation cannot long hold back the wrath of God when it involves the murder of the children.  There are those in our country who would seek to mutilate a child to change their gender or at a very young age cause mental confusion.  “There is no worse violence than the brutalizing of children, and heaven cries out for judgment.” (David Wilkerson)  
    This goes beyond babies, for youth in the classroom are being taught the things of evil.  This happens from kindergarten and through college there the doctrines of demons are being taught and called “truth.”  Some of the teaching is subtle, while other lessons are blatant.  Let us then realize what is happening around us.  Let us not fear or fret, or live in anxiety wringing our hands.

         “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”
                   –1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NKJV)

    God is on the throne, so when these things begin to happen look to Him.  “So when destruction comes, and there’s panic all around, you’ll have the calm of the Holy Spirit.  Something will quicken inside you…  Arm yourself with faith.  Build up your belief now, before the day comes.” (David Wilkerson)
    What is coming I do not know.  Will there be more destruction, confusion, terror, pestilence before the Rapture?  Unless the Lord returns soon, I would have to say “Yes.”  It doesn’t take long for disaster to strike, and if the nation continues on its current course in regard to the treatment of the children we can expect God to remove His hand of protection and possibly even strike with His vengeance.

Today had always been more important than either yesterday, which could not be changed, or tomorrow, which he could only guess at.”
              –Elmer Kelton (The Smiling Country)

    “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
              –John 15:11 (NKJV)
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This world is evil, it is under the power of the devil.  Yet we should traverse through this life with a smile on our face and joy in our heart.

         What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life–
         and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us–
         what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
         These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
                   –1 John 1:1-4 (NASB)

    It is important that we see the world as it really is.  Do not look at it with rose-colored glasses.  The world, despite what leaders, philosophers, and teachers might say is evil and under the power of the wicked one.  Do not be deceived by teaching that is contrary to this.  Do not look at the surface.  The politicians think that money is the answer to the issues of life–free tuition, free housing, free this and free that, when that will not take care of the problem of evil and sin.  
    We must not resign ourselves to the world!  This is not the by and by, nor do we live by “let live and let die.”  A person who has resigned himself to the conditions of this world cannot be full of joy.  “As Christians we have no right to be in a state of melancholy or unhappiness because the world is as it is.” (Lloyd-Jones)  
    Perhaps it is because we do not understand “joy”; we often equate it with happiness and while happiness may be found in joy it in itself is not joy.  William Barclay states, “Joy is the essence of Christianity…  The ultimate note of the Christian message is joy.”  Joy is not flippancy; it is not something cheap.  Joy does not necessarily bring laughter, but it does bring fulfillment.  Joy is not superficial as happiness can be; it does not mean lightheartedness, nor is it a pleasant emotional feeling.  “Joy is a state which is the result of the interaction of various forces and factors playing upon the soul.” (Lloyd-Jones)
    Even in prison, joy never escaped Paul.  Jesus was a man “full of sorrows and acquainted with grief” yet was a man filled with joy.  Joy is part of the Fruit of the Spirit; therefore, our view of joy must correspond the the life of Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit.  Joy is often related to sacrifice (Hebrews 12:2).
    Joy is the state of complete satisfaction–the soul is satisfied.  David prayed that the joy of his salvation be restored.  Joy is more positive and fulfilling than happiness.  The “joy of the Lord is my strength,” shows that joy presents the feeling of power and strength.

         “When you are truly joyful, you are wound up by some mighty dynamic power; you feel strong, you are lifted up above yourself, you are ready to meet every enemy from every direction and quarter; you smile in the face of them all; you say, ‘I defy them, they can never rob me of it.’  The joy of the Lord is your strength; it is a strong power, a mighty robust thing.”
                   –D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

    As we go through this study, with emphasis on 1 John, remember that John wrote this epistle so that our joy may be complete.  That is your joy and mine.  “Joy, is the response and the reaction of the soul to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Lloyd-Jones)  That is vital as we live in this pagan, apostate, and foolish world.
    William Barclay writes, “The simple fact is that if men are ever to find fellowship with one another and fellowship with God, and if they are ever to find true joy, they must find them in the Jesus Christ.”  He wants our joy to be full and to remain full.  Despite the circumstances of life–our joy must remain full; joy is not variable, it is a constant.