The Ultimate Invite

Shauna: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. I was so surprised the other day when Joni said her emotional capacity was lacking. Listen to her explain what she meant.
Joni Eareckson Tada: Don't believe me? Let me read you this verse in Revelation chapter 3, verse 21 where the risen Christ says, "To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne." I find that astounding. It is amazing that Christ will one day invite me to sit with Him on His throne. That is beyond comprehension. What's more, it is way, way, way beyond my emotional capacity to appreciate. Such a thought should leave you and me breathless, fallen face down on the floor, shocked to wordless praise with tears and laughter over the wonder of it all. Jesus our Savior secured the right to sit on that throne by doing something that we could never do for ourselves, which is to win our own salvation. Jesus, through His great suffering and sacrifice, would rise up, stand, turn, and say to you, "Look, sit here. Here's my throne. I want you to share it with me so that you can enjoy all the privileges the Father has showered on me. Those privileges are yours. So come, rule alongside me." It should leave us aghast, astonished, and speechless. Do you see why I call myself an emotional cripple? I think it was John Piper who originally said that of Christians. We're all emotional cripples. Our flesh and blood is just too limited. You and I read verses like Revelation 3:21 all the time. We read that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We read that if we suffer with Him, we shall reign with Him. Jesus will actually dispatch us as His ambassadors throughout the universe. We're going to rule over a world we can't even begin to grasp. Sadly, there's just no way our emotions can grasp that or rise to it. One of the most devastating things about the fall back in the Garden of Eden, according to John Piper, is that we lost our emotional capacity to express wonder at the glory and greatness of God. My friend Catherine Wolf strives to enlarge her emotional capacity when it comes to the wonder and joy of loving Jesus. I have posted a video of her sitting in her wheelchair, smiling her Jesus joy smile despite a crippling stroke that clamped many limitations on her ability to walk and talk in a typical way. If you need a little inspiration when it comes to mustering the emotions and expressing amazement at the grace of God, then Catherine Wolf is your girl. Take a minute and watch her wonderful video. Don't worry, it's short. Just watch it at joniradio.org today. Believe me, she will stretch your heart when it comes to matching your emotions with the wonder of God's glory. Again, that's at joniradio.org. Finally, friend, just know this: If you endure to the finish, Jesus is going to one day stand up from His throne and say to you, "Come on over here. Here's your seat." If that doesn't leave you breathless, then check your spiritual thermometer. But don't feel guilty if you can't muster the sense of joy, for we are all emotionally maimed. We have a long way to go when it comes to our feelings about the Lord and all that He's accomplished for us.
Shauna: Listening friend, don't feel badly if you can't rise to the wonder of all this. Just thank the Lord Jesus, follow Him closely, obey Him earnestly, bless Him the best you can, and know that one day you'll be emotionally whole and sitting at the throne of Jesus right next to Him.