joyful heart

Readers,

The word Christian means a follower of Christ. It also includes the idea of an anointed one. Christ in Greek is Christos, which means ‘the anointed One.’ Christianos is the Greek for Christian, or the anointed of Christ.

The word anointing by itself is the word chrisma. All these words share a common root. The anointing that Christians have in their hearts is the Spirit of Christ. Paul says it this way,

“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal4:6)x

And so, it really is a matter of the heart.

The blessed of the Lord

The anointing carries its influence in the life of every believer. It is here that we can draw from another word. Grace is the word charis. Charis means kindness, mercy, or, unmerited favor. It especially speaks of God’s divine presence.

The anointing therefore is God’s influence upon and within and over the heart and soul of a believer. From this divine heart anointing the believer shows himself as a child of God. God’s grace is what puts beauty into the life of the believer. Even in our repentances there will always be a flow of grace in our lives.

In the Old Testament the term, blessed of the Lord, spoke of someone who carried divine favor. This idea is seen in the new covenant in a special way. Paul said,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph 1:3)

So, is there a special manifestation of the anointing of Christ in our life? Most certainly there is. Notice the various cognates of the word grace, or, charis. To rejoice is chairo. Joy is chara. Synchairo means to rejoice with.

This anointing in our heart carries a Godly essence of joy, of peace, and of spiritual wellbeing. Jesus said that the joy to be given to us, no man could ever take away. It is this anointed life that we are called to live in.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the joyful heart that would come with the new covenant;

“Then you will say on that day, ‘I will give thanks to You, O LORD; for although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.’

“Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation. And in that day you will say, ‘Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; make them remember that His name is exalted. Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth. Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.'” (Isa 12:1-6 NASB)

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Garnering insights…

Let’s see if we can garner insights on the inner-life of the person we call ‘Christian.’

The patriarchs and the prophets were called God’s anointed ones. A special anointing oil was made to anoint the priests, and for use in the incense lamp of the holy place. This oil was not to be duplicated or used for any other purpose on penalty of death. The oil was called ‘a fragrance incense.’ Psalm 133 is a description of the priestly anointing.

“A Song of Ascents, of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing–life forever.” (Psa 133:1-3 NASB)

Now compare this to the Christian life in 2 Cor 2:14-17.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

“For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.

“And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.” (2Co 2:14-17 NASB)

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The Life manifested.

John calls the anointing the Life. He is speaking of eternal life, which refers to the very life of God that was present in Jesus Christ, and has now been given to the saints. (Saints are believers in Jesus.) Follow this with 1 John 1:1-4.

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life– and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us– what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.” (1Jn 1:1-4 NASB)

“The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1Jn 5:10-13 NASB)

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Realizing the Life anointing

The life anointing first expresses itself as peace in our hearts. The Bible calls Jesus, ‘the Prince of Peace.’ This peace in a believer’s heart is governmental peace. It is the spiritual sign that you are living under the Lordship of Jesus. The peace of God carries with it that inward feeling of joy or of wellbeing. Paul instructed the Colossians believers concerning the peace of God. He said,

“Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

The issue is simple. To be a Christian means that Jesus Christ resides in your heart. His life has become your life. Christians are to live in such a way as to bring glory to Christ Jesus. We are not to defame His name by living a worldly life-style. At the same time we are to express His life by living in the joy and peace of His kingdom. We are to be vessels that flow forth with His life.

Paul explained it this way:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal 2:20 NASB)

How is your heart today? Do you need peace from God. Let the Lord minister to your heart with ‘Peace Be Still’; by Candy Hemphill Christmas.

Much love coming your way,

Just a brother in Christ,

Buddy

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