"'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.'" John 15:9-11 (NIV)
It's so easy, even for me, to start thinking that sometimes God just wants to rain on my parade. Some days, it can feel like a lot of "rules." More frequently, though, I hear this from non-believers and the culture. Likewise, I hear comments all the time - on TV, in magazines and from friends of mine about how "impossible" it is to find fulfillment. So many seem to think that happiness, let alone complete joy, is an unattainable reality!
Yet, the word tells us differently on both counts. Isn't it ironic that the very guidelines our Maker gives, that often get such a bad wrap, are the very things that will lead us down the path for which so many search? The question that comes to mind immediately for me is how can I share that? I've learned the truth of Jesus' claims here in the truth and experience of my own life. I've seen it in the journeys those around me take. I know God's sovereign faithfulness. So, I know. But so many do not!
The best way, I think, is to live it out. I try to live my life in a way that demonstrates the difference. There's a time-honored principle that states, "If you want what I have, you have to do what I've done." In my opinion, it is a far more effective tack to just live the life I love and trust Him to catch the hearts & interest of others. I don't mean to say that intentional witnessing isn't good, but the people I live around need ministry as much as the next person. So, my thought is, live what IS my life...and my life is showered in bounty on many sides by a loving and generous Fathers. Then other people can simply take note of what I have...then they start to get curious about what I did to get to where I am.
The opposite approach - starting with what "what I did" means focusing on obedience, surrender and submission. For some situations, and in some relationships, this is the right on approach too. It depends.
The beauty of it all is that, regardless of which approach unfolds, what the Bible says here is clear and true. He gives us guidelines - that "owner's manual" so many people complain doesn't exist - and they are directions given for our own good and joy...complete joy! Who wouldn't want to pursue that with everything in them? Count me in!
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