As I read my Bible, I am always amazed that though physically abused, mocked, threatened, and cast out of town, the disciples and apostles held firm not only in their faith—but also in their joy.

How did they do it?

I know they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They had seen the living Christ. They were filled with purpose and promise.

But how did they keep their joy?

I think the secret to their joy is that they had received the best gift of their lives. A completely unexpected gift. And they never lost sight of it.

I Peter 1:8-9 states, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (NIV)

Read that through again.

We should, as believers, be filled with “inexpressible and glorious joy” for one reason and one reason alone.
We have received an amazing gift. An invaluable gift. An everlasting gift.

We have received “the salvation of our soul.”

Soak that in. Meditate on that. Jesus Christ died for our sins and secured everlasting life for the souls who believe in Him.

To fully appreciate this gift, imagine you did not have it. What if you awakened every morning not knowing if there was anything after this life? If this were “it?” What would you do? How would you feel?

On occasion, a nonbeliever will read my blog and will comment something like this:

“This is a superstition.”

“Don’t bother me with fairy tales.”

There is real bitterness in the tone of those comments. And, I understand why—they have no faith that their souls will live forever. They harbor the thoughts that when they die, they will become nothing. And, if you think deeply about this, nothing is more terrifying.

And yet, there are glimpses of hope in those comments. After all, if someone told you that they saw the real tooth fairy, you likely would feel no need to comment. If they believe in something so obviously wrong, you would not comment. It wouldn’t make you angry. If anything, you would feel sorry for the person.

I believe often those who make these comments are angry because they so wish it could be true. They just haven’t found a way to believe.

So, how do we help them believe?

We keep professing the truth of the Risen Christ.

We point to Scripture.

We pray for them.

We ask the Holy Spirit to impact them.

And, we demonstrate each day the Joy of Our Salvation.

We have been given the ultimate gift. Each day, open it again, savor it, and show the world your Joy in its knowledge.

Our souls are saved. Our souls will live eternally with God.

Hallelujah!