ISAIAH 55:12 - "Magnum Opus"

"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: and this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that you may approve things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offense till the Day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the Glory and Praise of God. (Philippians 1:6; 9-11) 'Magnum Opus': A masterpiece; Chief Work of an Artist. God has crafted together a mighty and glorious work, which is so spectacular, that those that have been blessed to look upon it, and share what they have seen, can not even put it into words. Where does our Joy come from? Here is a clue: It does not come from this earth! There is a Joy that is set before us, that is greater than anything imaginable; it is a Joy based upon what we have been given in Christ; based upon what awaits us in Heaven, for all eternity. It is that Joy which causes our hearts to withstand even the harshest of trials, and the greatest challenges that we may face. It is not a joy that is based upon what we are going through, but rather a Joy based upon what we will become. In fact; the trials which we are faced with can, and should increase the magnitude of that Joy in us; How is that? Because they cause us to focus more upon that place where we will be, and less upon this place that we are currently in; that is of course, if we so choose to set our hearts and minds upon that place, and not upon this world. As I started this study in this chapter, I spent several days describing what the difference was between knowing what is the Will of God; in knowing the difference between what is His Will, verses our will. To see what the difference was between God's Perfect Will and His Permissive Will; and I used three separate illustrations: the children of Israel choosing a earthly king over the King of Kings; King Hezekiah and his choice to live rather than to go into glory; and divorce. All of these had one thing in common: where the heart was; or rather, what really mattered most in our hearts: the things of this world, or the things of God. Because, if what matters most in our hearts are the things of Him, then we will be walking in and living towards His Perfect Will. It really comes down to one simple fact: What are we living for. If we are living for that Place in Heaven that awaits us; that Place where we will be joined together with Jesus in Glory, for all eternity; than nothing can take the Joy of that Place from our hearts; absolutely nothing. (I have another song in my heart: "So set your mind on Him, and let your praise begin...) There is a Place; a Glorious Place, that awaits us all; a place that can not even begin to be described. And as John tried to describe it in the Book of Revelation, he had to stop trying to tell what he saw that it was like, and just declare the Glory of the Church: "And there shall be no more curse: but the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face; and His Name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 22:3-5)