Joyful Obedience

God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight.

Ecclesiastes 2:26

It has been said that “God prefers reluctant obedience rather than joyful disobedience.” But this statement is misleading. When we first learn to obey God, we sometimes do so reluctantly because we leave the familiar territory of doing as we please to embark on the uncharted waters of yielding our will to His. But once we understand that obedience to the Lord produces joy in our lives, we also begin to realize that there is no such thing as “joyful disobedience.” For, in fact, ignoring God’s directives is a joy stealer.

Alan Redpath states it this way: “When there’s disobedience in the Christian life, the fullness ceases. . . . And you soon know when you’ve lost the fullness, because the joy is gone.”

If you find that you are resisting obedience to God in some area of your life, ask yourself, Is it worth it? Because no matter how vigorously you try to justify disobedience in your life, you can never replace the joy that is lost when you say no to God.

Dear Christian, run to do His will, and lay hold of the resulting joy that God has provided for those who obey Him. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain, for a joyful heart stems from an obedient heart.

Obedient submission is the only way to joy.

CHARLES STANLEY