August 23, 2021 OUR JOY MADE FULL
John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word; and My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode with him.”
John 15:9-11,14 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Fathers commandments, and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.”
In our culture of independence and self-reliance, the words ‘command’ and ‘obey’ have a negative connotation for many. Many perceive God as a God who gives out commands, and if we do not obey His commands, we are in trouble; also, some have the view that the commands of God somehow rob us of life, and would keep us from doing what we want to do. The part of us that resist the commands of God is our old man, the flesh; but we are not bound to the flesh; we can walk according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh. As we read God’s word with an open heart and mind, we discover that God is a good God; that He is for us and not against us; that He has a great love for us; and that He desires that His children experience abundant life and a life filled with joy. In fact, He sent His Son to die for us that we might come to know Him as our Father. We need to rid ourselves of any view of God that is not in keeping with who He is. Loving and keeping God’s word go hand-in-hand; it’s crystal clear-if we love God, we will desire to keep His commands. To embrace and to walk in the ways of God is to embrace life. All of the commands of God are for our good! The battle we face is that of choosing to live according to our ways-our logic, our thinking, our desires-or to the ways of God that are clearly presented in His word; it is a matter of submitting (another word that has a negative connotation to many) to God’s word as the authority in life. In our spirit, we know that His commands are good; commands such as-be kind-hearted, encourage one another, prefer others, honor others, help one another, forgive others, give, bless……and the list goes on. The great news is that if we love Him, we will keep His word; and Jesus and His Father will come to us and make their abode in us! We are in error if we believe that we can live according to our ways and at the same time enjoy the presence of the Lord. Obeying God’s word is not about trying to earn His love, but about expressing our love for Him by keeping His word; God loves us even if we do not walk in His ways, but He desires that we experience life to the fullest-and that is done by keeping and by doing His word. God promises that when we keep His commands, our joy will be full!
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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