Joy

I have a post percolating, it's still a bit jumbled in my mind and I may be trying to induce it too soon, but I'm going to give it a whirl. Hope it makes sense to you at the end. :)

Yesterday I had a significant series of spiritual thoughts stemming from books, Bible and hymnal. I'll write them here for you and then see if I can connect the dots for you - the way my brain did yesterday - or if I just leave you to connect your own dots.

From For Everything a Season, by Philip Gulley, "To be accurate, despite our indifference to idolatry, God still gets his dander up about it. God is funny that way. He wants to be first in our lives, not for the sake of his ego but for the sake of our joy. Thus he commands his followers to worship God and God alone. Because all other gods, these little g gods, ultimately disappoint. They are straw gods who whither when life heats up. So it is for our joy that God commands our devotion. God alone is the one who is forever faithful, who never disappoints, whose love knows no end."

From John 15:9-14 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command."

From an old hymn,

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace."

Here's what jumped out at me - it is for my joy that Jesus asks hard things of me. When He calls me to give up things of this world, it is for my joy. When He insists on being the One and Only God in my life - with nothing before Him - it is for my joy.

And, in regards to love and obedience, which has sometimes been quite convoluted in my mind, it is not "If you obey my commands I will love you." It is clearly, "If you obey my commands you will remain in my love." Jesus' love for me is not conditional to my obedience. He doesn't love me because He is pleased with me. He loves me. Period. AND, I receive His love when I remain in Him. Obedience isn't to earn God's love, it's to know and experience God's love. My obedience puts me in a place to receive what is already there. Disobedience removes me from the flow of God's love. Obedience causes me to remain in His love. It's not a matter of God removing love and then giving it again - based on my actions and choices. It's a matter of God's love being continually poured over me and me choosing whether or not I will remain in the stream.

When God calls me to turn my back on things I enjoy, like TV and movies and novels and internet surfing and unhealthy friendship, it's not because He's a big kill-joy. It's for my joy - because He KNOWS I will be more fulfilled, content and Joyful - that He guides and directs and teaches me.

Obedience can feel like such a heavy word to me sometimes, but I'm starting to glimpse the truth that obedience is my delight. And the promise is that the things of earth - the things I struggle to release to God - will grow strangely dim, the more I gaze upon His love and grace.