“You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy, at Your right had are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:11
The Bible is one story from beginning to end – a grand story of love, forgiveness and reconciliation. The Scriptures point us to the ultimate reality which is about one’s relation to the Creator. Since we were made by God and for Him, it follows that He is our highest good and our deepest satisfaction. Beginning in Genesis three and through all of human history, humanity has attempted to find happiness and satisfaction apart from God. But because we were made for God, our satisfaction is impossible away from Him. God’s purpose is our reconciliation to Himself. Knowing Jesus Christ and having His righteousness is the only means to that end. No attempt at goodness and self-redemption will come close to the full and complete work of Christ on our behalf. God’s grace is that He has given Himself to us for our good and His glory.
In his vision of our glorious end, it is revealed to John that we will see God’s face (Revelation 22:4). This statement is rich with welcome, acceptance, nearness, and favor. The idea that we will see His face is staggering since all through Scripture it is repeated that no man can see God and live. The brilliance of His holiness would consume us. But in the end all whose lives are hidden with Christ in God will know the fullness of joy in His presence with perpetual pleasure (Psalm 16:11).
The triune God is at work; He is at work in His people. He started it and He will finish it. It will be a masterpiece to His glory! Because of Christ’s reconciling work, we will be like Him, having His righteousness. That likeness will be our ultimate satisfaction – that we will be perpetually with Him, perfectly reflecting and enjoying His goodness. To this end we are called to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). Let us live – not in pursuit of the stuff like prestige or possessions that can neither define nor satisfy us – but in the unmatched privilege of knowing Him. Let us use that privilege to point others to Him.
The above article is an excerpt from my new book,
SURPASSING WORTH
Contemplating the Unmatched Privilege of Knowing Jesus Christ.
