Joy in Obedience
Read John 15:10, 11. What is Jesus linking joy to? How, in a practical sense, does this work; that is, why should this lead to joy?
"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Ps. 1:2, NKJV).
"I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:8, NKJV).
There is no greater joy than the joy of being obedient to the will of God. While it may seem to some that an emphasis on obedience to the law of God simply serves to exacerbate an already guilty conscience, the fact is that obedience to the will of God is liberating. Remember, it was disobedience that brought war to heaven and sin and death to this planet. All human pain and suffering are the result of humans stepping outside the will of God. It will be, then, obedience to the will of God through faith that helps restore joy.
Read Psalm 19:8, Jeremiah 15:16, and Matthew 7:21-27. How do they link obedience with joy? Jeremiah 15:16, and Matthew 7:21-27. How do they link obedience with joy?
However clear the Bible is that we are not saved by works, it's also clear that works are an inseparable aspect of what it means to have salvation. Works reveal to the universe the reality of our salvation, the reality of our commitment to God. To call someone a legalist merely because that person is adamant about obeying God's will is, in a real sense, to fall into the trap that Isaiah warned about: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20). How have you experienced for yourself the joy that comes from obedience? Or, to ask the question negatively: How have you experienced the pain and suffering that come from not obeying the Lord?
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