Is It Really The Month Of June...Again???

There are many Christians I know who dread the month of June, especially over the last few years as those who celebrate sin come out in more force and flaunt the pride of their sin all over the place. It is tempting for us as Christians to be upset, angry, frustrated. It might seem to us that the whole world has gone crazy as so many companies we do business with transform their whole advertising schemes and platforms to cater and celebrate a small segment of our population that practices sexual deviancy. On top of that, we have to endure our government at various levels spending money to promote the agenda, not only here in the United States, but around the world as well. It may feel to us like we are becoming defeated.

But I write this morning, dear Christian, to encourage you to have joy. Your best strategy for dealing with the celebration of wickedness that is placed in your social media feed, in advertisements on your various screens, and promoted by some of your favorite companies, is to smile the whole time. Now, you might think that is a big ask, but I mean it, let’s smile all month long. Now, if you know me, I believe we are to be genuine, sincere, so you should know that I am not asking you to put on a plastic, faux smile, but rather that I am asking you to smile with joy in your heart. Let me give you 8 reasons you have to express joy, not just the month of June, but every day for the rest of your life.

Yours Is The Kingdom Of Heaven

I am assuming you are in Christ, and if you are, then you belong in the kingdom of heaven. In other words, this world as it is today is not our final resting place, at all. This country is not our home country. Our citizenship resides with our King, Jesus Christ, and with God on His eternal throne. We are residents there, and nothing can separate us from this kingdom. We are no longer in the kingdom of darkness, but we now belong in the kingdom light. Praise the Lord and rejoice in Him, for the kingdom of heaven is ours!

You Shall Be Comforted

We can certainly find reason for mourning when the culture is so wicked, but we also see inside ourselves our own lack of wisdom and spiritual growth. Going through this world, awaiting the kingdom, awaiting the return of Christ, let’s face it, it can wear us down to the point of mourning. But beloved, know this, if you are in Christ you shall be comforted. The day of comfort is on its way. God Himself shall wipe away every tear from our eyes. Long for that day, yes, but have joy because that day is quickly approaching.

You Shall Inherit The Earth

It sure seems like Satan is ruling the world today, and the Bible does call him the prince and power of the air, so that is not a completely inaccurate assessment. But know that God is sovereign even over all that Satan does on this earth, and Satan’s time is short. His days are numbered, and the day is coming when he will be removed from the earth. He is only borrowing what belongs to us, what belongs to those who belong to the kingdom. We win in the end, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and that should put joy in your hearts even as you contemplate that thought.

You Shall Be Satisfied With Righteousness

Perhaps one of the most difficult thing for Christians in the month of June is to see how unrighteous the world around us is, and it makes us homesick for a world where righteousness and justice rules. But even more than that, we are still not righteous ourselves, and we know we still fall short, and we have so far to go. But Christian, never forget that this longing you have, this hungering and thirsting for righteousness, it will be satisfied. You have a future where righteousness will be forevermore, and while it may seem so long into the future, it is sure, and it is closer today than it was yesterday. Let the satisfaction we shall find in glory put a big smile on your face today.

You Shall Receive Mercy

As Christ followers, one thing we recognize is God’s holiness and our sinfulness. As I contemplate this, I have often thought about the fact that I fully deserve to be cast into hell for eternity. Now, I believe I am in Christ with my whole heart, I know that I have eternal life, but if somehow after my death, I would lift my eyes and find myself in hell, I would know that I fully deserved to be there. I so need mercy, and because I am in Christ, I know I shall receive mercy. So it will be for every Christian, that on judgment day, you will not be judged for the life you lived, you will be judged for the live Jesus Christ lived and receive mercy. Knowing what I deserve, knowing what Christ will give me in the judgment, it certainly is a reason for joyful hope today.

You Shall See God

The more we are sanctified as Christians, the more we learn about God. And the more I learn about God, the more I love God. Because I am in the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven belongs to me, then, I know that I shall see God in His kingdom and in His glory. Because of mercy, because of Christ’s righteousness, I will be able to see Him in power and majesty and that reality is almost unfathomable to me. This is the promise for every individual who is in Christ. You are going to see God one day, face to face, and there are so many implications to that truth that we cannot comprehend prior to that day. It should just leave us in awe and wonder and should certainly drive joy into our hearts.

You Shall Be Called Children Of God

It is one thing to see God, it is another thing to be called His child, His son, His daughter, but for those who are in Christ, this is who we are. We are not orphans, we have a Father in God in heaven. The relationship we have with God is tight knit. God will never abandon His children, but He will keep them, protect them, love them, as any loving father would for their children. We are not just going to be called children of God, we will actually be children of God. What a future we have where we will be near our Father for all eternity, and that hope lies just ahead of us, not far down the road.

Yours Is The Kingdom Of Heaven

Now, you might recognize this is a repeat, and the astute of you know I am just going through the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-10 to get these. But if Christ repeated it, I think it is worthy of repetition. In fact, I believe He bookends the beatitudes with this blessing because this is our present blessing. We know we are in the kingdom of heaven, right now, this is our reality. We are in the kingdom of heaven, yet we still dwell in this world, which is why we will be hated and persecuted. But it is also why these other blessings are listed in the future. There is a sense in which we have these blessings even now, but they are nothing like they will be when we experience them in their fullness in the future. Those future blessings that we have in Christ are ours because we are in His kingdom now, and that should give us great joy now.

Christians, my call to you this month, and every month, is to live out this blessed life with joy. You are the most blessed of all people because of the blessings given to you by our Lord Jesus Christ. Do not forget that, this day or any day, and let it give you joy in suffering, and let the world know that their celebration of sin does nothing to change who we are or what our future is. All of that is certainly a reason to smile today, dear Christian.