For Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like garden of LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and voice of melody.

Therefore redeemed of LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her.

For thus saith LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among chief of nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, remnant of Israel.

The voice of joy, and voice of gladness, voice of bridegroom, and voice of bride, voice of them that shall say, Praise LORD of hosts: for LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring sacrifice of praise into house of LORD. For I will cause to return captivity of land, as at first, saith LORD ... Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls.

Then was king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of den. So Daniel was taken up out of den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for LORD will do great things.

Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in LORD your God: for he hath given you former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you rain, former rain, and latter rain in first month.

And LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of gourd.

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Thus saith LORD of hosts; The fast of fourth month, and fast of fifth, and fast of seventh, and fast of tenth, shall be to house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love truth and peace.

And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in LORD. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they prophets which were before you.

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard word, immediately receive it with gladness; For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. And angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing glad tidings of kingdom of God: and twelve were with him, And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.

It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were disciples glad, when they saw Lord. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope.

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they, continuing daily with one accord in temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all people. And Lord added to church daily such as should be saved. And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that promise which was made unto fathers, God hath fulfilled same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you sure mercies of David.

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for marriage of Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Glimpses of God © 2005 by Joyce C. Lock http://www.angelslight.org/joycepoem.html http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/ This KJV selection may be used in its entirety, with credits in tact, for non-profit ministering purposes.

We do not earn salvation by our obedience; for salvation is free gift of God, to be received by faith. But obedience is fruit of faith. Hence, I strive to keep Ten Commandments for this reason, i.e., as result of my salvation, not cause of my salvation.

(c) Glorification -- Is when Christ returns, raises dead in Christ and takes both raised and living saints to heaven in our immortal bodies. It is obtained by grace through faith alone in work and Person of Jesus Christ alone.

Or, in short, Justification is freedom from sin's condemnation, Sanctification is freedom from sin's power, and Glorification is freedom from sin's presence ... all of which are accomplished by grace through faith alone in work and Person of Jesus Christ alone. I can no more raise my self from dead by my own efforts than I can justify or sanctify myself by my own efforts.

Lastly, how is this faith obtained? I like following explanation.

Faith is a gift. It is not something you work on or work up. It is a gift of Holy Spirit. Faith is not spiritual wishful thinking, or forcing yourself to believe by sheer willpower and turning off intellect. Faith is trust, based on evidence, that results in action. Faith in Christ is trust in Christ, based on evidence, that results in action.

However, even though faith is a gift, is there any role individual plays in faith? Yes, and here is analogy I like (albeit it is imperfect):

How does one get to trust anyone? By getting to know them. And if they person is trustworthy, all you have to do is get to know them, and you cannot help but to trust them. Similarly, if that person is untrustworthy, all you gotta do is get to know them, and you cannot help but to not trust them. And one thing I find in my Bible is premise that Jesus Christ is absolutely trustworthy.

So, how does one get to have faith (trust) Jesus? By getting to know Him. How does one get to know Jesus? Just like with anyone else. You talk to them. They talk to you, And you go out and do things together. You will then get to know them. How does one talk to Jesus? Prayer. How does Jesus talk to you? Bible study. How do you go out and do things together? Christian fellowship, church, mission activity, etc.

Or, as one of my favorite pastor's puts it: Prayer, fellowship, and tell someone else what you got out of first two.

Jarrod has a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from UCLA, and currently works as a public school science teacher in Southern California.