"God has called us to live holy lives" (1 Thessalonians 4:7), and one way we do that is to find joy in obedience:
"I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches." ~ Psalm 119:14
What about the "hard" commands like forgiving offenses, returning good for evil, denying ourselves, or standing up for God's values in a world that mocks them?
It's interesting how often the Bible links joy with these hard acts of obedience:
✤ Be glad when insulted for Christ (Matthew 5:11-12)
✤ Consider trials "pure joy" (James 1:2)
✤ Rejoice always - written by Paul in prison (Philippians 3:1)
It's impossible to rejoice in these hard acts of obedience in our own strength. But in Christ all things are possible (Matthew 19:26; Philippians 4:13).
And joy comes from looking beyond the difficulty to the reward:
"Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven." Matthew 5:12
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This is part of a 10 part series on 9 Spiritual Disciplines found in Psalm 119:9-16. Read the entire series HERE.
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