A Time of Joy!

Our physical minds cannot fully appreciate God's awesome plan, yet how wonderful the truth is even with our limited understanding.

Throughout the year, God's amazing plan continues to be revealed to us through His seven annual festivals. God is looking forward to the fulfillment of these Holy Days with great anticipation!

What joy our Father must have as we draw closer to the return of Jesus Christ. God began to plan the details for increasing His family before the foundation of the earth. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:9 that God has planned our future "not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began."

At the first resurrection, our Father's joy will be immense because this is the first time in all eternity that there will be more than two members in the God family! Think of how we, as physical parents, are very happy to see the birth of our children. God grants us these physical experiences to help us better understand His plan and to realize His excitement of adding to His spiritual family.

All of us look forward to becoming the sons and daughters of God, but have we considered the great joy that God will experience at our birth? Just think, based on how we live our lives, we all have a part in bringing joy to our Heavenly Father!

Paul shows us that humanity does not understand God's plan. He writes in 1 Corinthians 2:9, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." In verse 10, Paul explains that God has revealed this spiritual knowledge to those who have His Holy Spirit. As God's children, our increased understanding of His truth gives us reason to be zealous toward His amazing plan.

We all need to continue to bring joy to our Father. We accomplish this by listening carefully to God's words, daily applying what we hear and allowing God through His Spirit to build His holy, righteous character within us. UN