The Joy of Belonging

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence, and don’t take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You.” (Psalm 51:10-12 NLT)

The joy of belonging begins in earnest when we meet Jesus, but it doesn’t end there. The joy of knowing, loving, and serving the Lord Jesus is magnified and intensified because when He invites us into a love relationship with Himself, He allows us to become a part of His eternal family, the Church, His own Body on earth.

Psalm 51 is the agonizing prayer of David after Nathan the prophet confronted him about his adultery with Bathsheba that led to the murder of her husband. We looked in yesterday’s post at the subject of temptation, and Psalm 51 is an excellent illustration of just how deadly temptation can become.

As David viewed Bathsheba taking her bath the first glance was the devil peeking through the keyhole, but what that first look led to was allowing Satan to come in the door. The frightening aspect of sin that we rarely see before it’s too late, is the long-range effects of our sin, even after it’s been forgiven.

God is quick to forgive us, but often the consequences of our sin last a lifetime and beyond. Nothing is more terrifying to a believer than the thought of being separated from God’s presence, even though the Lord has given us assurance that He will never leave or forsake us. Sin separates, God unifies; sin creates a chasm only God’s presence can fill.

Joy is rarely a singular event. Joy, by it’s very design, is meant to be shared. Negative emotions like hate, anger, lust, covetousness, pride, and many others are intensified when we’re alone, but positive emotions like kindness, caring, sharing, and belonging are magnified in togetherness and community. That’s one of the reasons the Church is so needed today.

Seeking to walk alone as a believer is like a soldier being on the battlefield alone. It’s a losing battle. I love worshipping the Lord each day alone, but I long for the community of my brothers and sisters who love me and love Jesus. It’s inspiring to watch other believers give expression to their love for the Lord as they raise their hands, sing praises to Him, weep and in varied ways give expression to their dependence upon the Lord.

A man whom I’ve learned to dearly love said to me early in our relationship: “You’re like me.” I was taken aback as we’d just met and I had no clue what he was referring to, but then he added: “You can’t come to worship without crying.” It’s true. I rarely make it through a service without shedding tears of joy for the privilege of belonging to Jesus and being a part of His eternal family.

Realizing there’s not a perfect person in the room when we worship, not even, perhaps especially the ones who bring the messages, deepens my dependence on God and my appreciation for each of my fellow worshippers. None of us will be perfect until we get to heaven, but there’s a very real sense in which I feel that together, as broken, and needy as we all are individually, together we’re whole, strong, and able to conquer any adversary.

The church as it’s being lived out on this earth is far from perfect, but when I look in the mirror, I’m reminded daily that so am I. It’s a privilege to be a part of the family of God and I thank the Lord every day for the gift of my believing brothers and sisters across the world. I’m encouraged and my spirit is ignited with joy when I think of how wonderful it will be when we’re able to celebrate our life in Christ together in heaven.

Nothing this earth can ever offer will compare with our joy of belonging to Jesus and to each other – FOREVER!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊