John 14:15 – If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
THEME OF THE DAY: THE WORK FOR JOY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. The joy of the Lord. It is what calms our raging souls when buffeted by tough circumstances. It is what energizes us to get up in the morning and live for Jesus. It is our strength to serve faithfully when fatigue and the flesh scream to cut spiritual corners on spiritual discipline. It is the attractive trait making us live differently than those enslaved by fear and uncertainty in a scary world. It is the rich legacy our Lord leaves His people. But there is a catch . . . joy is not a vitamin we take in the morning and off we go living a joy-filled life. Nor is joy something that zaps us from heaven and transforms us into “super Christians” living on the Mount of Transfiguration all the day long. No, we must work for joy. Yes, work, not to earn it, but to live in it. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian believers, “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith” (2 Corinthians 1:24).
What is this work we are to do in order to walk in the Lord’s joy? It is summed up in one word – obedience. And it is obedience to the Lord’s commands which produces joy. Obedience is also what we were created for; what we are saved for; and is the very essence of our relationship with our God. It is so important not only because it delights the heart of our Savior, but as goes our obedience, so goes our enjoyment of the Christian life and the joy in the Christian life. We are not called of the Lord to be ‘grumpy’ Christians who walk around the world looking gloomy or sour like we just sucked on a lemon. No, we are to be a joyful people, not some of the time, but all the time. Yes, even in hard times because the joy of the Lord and our ability to rejoice in the Lord is not based on circumstances or emotions. Our joy is based on our obedience to the Lord’s commands. The more we strive to obey Him out of love, the more His joy is experienced. Why? Because joy comes from fellowship with Christ who is our joy, and fellowship relies on our obedience to His commands. Low levels of joy always come from low levels of obedience. But we must make a distinction when it comes to obedience to the Lord’s commands. There are two types – one is unacceptable and the other acceptable.
Unacceptable obedience is anything but joyful. It is the attempt by a person to “do” God’s Word motivated by fear of consequence of not obeying and marked by constant failure to measure up. This type of legalism and bondage leaves one discouraged and defeated. It is an obedience in the strength of self that never draws one near to God or transforms the person into the wonderful Fruit of the Spirit image of the Lord Jesus. We may even call this “being religious” and there is no joy in religious people, only burdensome duty.
The other type of obedience is what produces joy. It is the person knowing there is no ability to obey God’s Word in the power of self. He or she depends upon the Spirit of God to motivate, energize, and direct all obedience. It is a child-like trust that the God who commands us to obey will also enable us to obey. And the distinguishing mark in this type of obedience is the delight in obeying. There is a sense of spiritual privilege that one gets to obey. When we grasp the love and power in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus that takes God-hating sinners and changes them to God-loving saints, our obedience becomes a passion to satisfy. We not only long for perfect obedience out of love, but our lives take on an aggressiveness in obeying God out of love. Our daily lives become shaped by a joy-producing obedience that grows more intense and more noticeable in our lives. And that, my friends, is the glorious work producing ever increasing joy.
PRAYER: “Lord, may I always strive to walk in Your joy by delightful obedience.”
QUOTE: “The joy of the Lord is found in obeying the Lord for obedience to Him is saying ‘no’ to self and sin”.