Sovereignty plus love and care

God is not limited by our limitations, discouraged by our discouragements, or hindered by our shortcomings. He is sovereign over all things! In the hands of a tyrant such as Herod, this kind of power could terrify and devastate, but when combined with God’s covenantal love and care for his creation and image bearers, it can fill us with hope and peace, no matter what the circumstances.

The First Days of Jesus

Andreas J. Köstenberger

Alexander Stewart

Glorifying God by Imitating Him

Wayne Grudem
Business for the Glory of God

He created us in such a way that we would take spontaneous delight in seeing reflections of his character in our own actions and in the actions of others. Though this process is now marred by sin, we still see it happening to some extent. We feel a deep, fulfilling kind of joy and satisfaction in telling the truth (because God is truthful), treating others fairly (because God is fair and just), acting in love toward other people (because God is love), being faithful to our marriages and keeping our word in other commitments (because God is faithful), and so forth. We also enjoy seeing other people act in these ways, because in those actions we catch a glimpse of the character of God. In this way we can begin to understand how to fulfill the command, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

The Incarnation and the Plan of Salvation

Stephen J. Wellum
Holman KJV Study Bible

Apart from Him as God the Son incarnate, we do not have a Redeemer who can stand on our behalf as a man, let alone satisfy God's own righteous demand upon us due to our sin. After all, it is only God who can save us. By becoming one with us, our Lord not only becomes our sympathetic Saviour, He also accomplishes a work that saves us fully, completely, and finally.

Christian Joy

 "Joy is a happiness based on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities. It is the sense of well-being experienced by one who knows that all is well between oneself and the Lord. Joy is not the result of favorable circumstances but occurs even when those circumstances are the most painful and severe."

John Macarthur
Richard Mayhue