Been having much to do of late, really miss blogging. My last journal is full and I just got a new one :). I thing this coming holiday will really see the "Pages from my journal" section filling up quite a bit. Anyhow, a brief thought/ ex to share
Penned around 15/09/2013
The Biblical formula for abundant Joy
On Friday, one of my collegues/ class mates came to me and was like "Simon, you dont have any problems ne?". I smiled thinking silently: if He only knew. I told him that I, like every other human being face challenges. But He insisted,"yes, but you dont have like Big problems". Ah the joys of knowing Jesus though. I told Him about the promise that Jesus has given in Matthew 11:28-30, that to Jesus I can lay all my heaviest burdens, and He will not only give me rest, but a yoke which is easy to bear. I let Him know that this promise has been a very real experiences in the many trials that one may face but that in Jesus I can literally look with a smile on what others may find to be a grievious yoke... :)
Any way, just a nice thought to share:
Jesus speaks these words in John 13:17, : "If ye know these things, happy are [you] if you do them." What one finds in reading these words is the fact that there is happines in following the instructions which Jesus Christ has given, not just hearing them. Now in this context Jesus was giving instruction to his disciples regarding the ceremony of footwashing, in the verses before (v. 3-16), but we'll see that the principle applies with all that Christ has spoken. Knowing what Christ has instructed, and going on to do it is the source of true and lasting happiness.
John later also implies something similar to this in his epistle. We read in his letter, "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." 1 John 1:4. In introducing the epistle, John is telling us that the things that we will find in his letter are intended that our joy may be full. So to find out what it is that will give us this fullness of joy, we can go further through the book. He says in the next chapter: "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:". Looking at these 2 passages next to each other, it would be safe to conclude that what John is telling us is that if we "sin not" our "joy may be full". He is further emphasising the very words of Jesus, that obedience is the source of a joy that is full.
Now one may ask, "But John, I have already fallen into sin, how can I from henceforth turn from sin to obedience?", John would give us the answer. Further in the same book he tells us the following: "Whosoever committes sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he [Jesus] was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin." 1 John 3:4-5.
John first explains what sin is, that sin is to disobey or to transgress the law of God. He further explains though that Jesus was manifested to take away our sins, Jesus was manifested to take away our disobedience and transgression of the law. When Jesus takes away the disobedience to His law (sin), He fills the vaccuum with nothing but His own obedience, so that one is able to keep the commandments and to "sin not". Friends, Jesus came to take away our disobedience of his law that our "joy may be full" in obeying Him.
Note what John continues to say: "Whosoever abideth in him [Jesus] sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him." Fullness of joy comes by abiding in Jesus because He is the one who gives the obedience. The question then ought not to be "can you or I live in full obedience to the law of God", rather the question should be "Can you and I accept the almighty power of Jesus to work in the heart to keep us from sinning?". This is why Christ came, to take away our sin, to give this fullness of joy. Will you believe and accept this today...?
