“So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”
January 19, 2022
Don’t get the idea that the will of God is something you have to do. God’s not going to force His will on you. It is something you get to do. When you learn to obey, you learn the joy that’s available in the Christian life. There’s no such thing as a happy, disobedient Christian. It is a contradiction in terms. Obedience and rejoicing come together. It is a lie from Hell that doing the will of God is painful and makes you miserable. The Bible says, “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).
The reason some of us don’t obey the Lord and fail to understand there’s joy in obedience is that we don’t trust the Lord; we have difficulty taking commands from a stranger we don’t know. Once we get to know the Lord Jesus Christ, we learn that His commands are not grievous or burdensome.
Make a list of ways you feel God calling you to be obedient to Him this week. Pray over this list, asking God to remind you that joy is found in obedience to Him.
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”