I had come home from a Sunday night event, tired but fulfilled after a long day. But I didn’t come home empty handed. Tucked in my arms, being very careful not to spill even the littlest bit, were styrofoam cups of Johnny’s BBQ banana pudding. I was a little excited to say the least. When the family heard I was home, each made their way across the house to greet me and say hello. There were hugs and smiles, “How was it, Daddy” questions, and the same question asked back to them about their afternoon.
Then, there was the moment. That joyful and often hilarious reaction when you’ve got good news to tell somebody. Individually, after catching up with each of them, I got to say, “Look what I brought home.” What followed were fist pumps, leaps, and excited yes’s, after each asked, “Is that from Johnny’s?!”
Johnny’s BBQ Banana Pudding
“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.” —1 Peter 1:8-9
The apostle Peter is encouraging those Christians who have experienced the goodness of God in Jesus Christ and yet haven’t met and known Jesus the way that he (Peter) had. Peter walked and talked with Jesus; he experienced the miraculous and sat directly under His divine teaching. There were few who knew Jesus the way Peter did, and yet these new Christians are experiencing the same “inexpressible and glorious joy” because of Christ. These believers are filled, even in Christ’s physical absence, and they have that same joy as those who walked with the Savior in His ministry days.
My sweet family members had not even taken a bite yet before they knew the delight that comes with those sweet desserts. They didn’t have to even put a spoonful in their mouths to know the goodness of good banana pudding. And in that same vein, we can know Christ and the “inexpressible and glorious joy” that comes from the One who has saved our souls. We have received a large portion of the great reward Christ has given through His sacrifice on the cross. It is the joy that comes from knowing Him. We cannot and must not underestimate the inexpressible. It is glorious and life-giving.
So I’ll ask you two things. First, do you know that joy? And second, do you know good banana pudding when you see it?
—Pastor Whit