Last time I wrote for the Bell, I briefly mentioned the joy
we experience when we come to know Jesus. But today I want to talk about
something else that brings us joy! Can you guess what it is? It is obedience.
But how are they even closely related? The answer can be
found in John chapter 15:
“I am the vine, ye are
the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit: for without me ye can do nothing……..If ye keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in
his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you,
and that your joy might be full.”
Jesus is really good at using imagery! He uses a vine and
branches to describe our relationship with Him. Without Jesus (the vine) we
cannot do anything---we wither and are thrown into the fire. (John 15:6) But if
we abide in Christ, and obey God’s commandments our branches become heavy with
fruit.
I want to interrupt this lovely imagery by asking you a
question. How do you feel after finishing a huge project? You probably feel
relief right? You feel like you’ve conquered something—you feel accomplishment.
Well, if we keep God’s commandments, we are not only fruitful, but we are full
of joy! That’s how obedience and joy are related. Obedience is the source of
our fruitfulness and joy is its result.
As the old hymn goes: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other
way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey!”
No comments:
Post a Comment