Think about Joy

“I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.” - Psalms 119:14 NIV

Lately my personal study has been centered on the idea of Joy. Joy was, and still is, a struggle for me. For a lot of years I wrote this off as a personality trait. But there was this persistent feeling that I was missing out out on something important. Finally I gave in to this feeling and began to search for an answer. My search lead me to Psalms 119:14 and I was floored by this scripture. I never tied the idea of Joy to Obedience, but they are in fact inseparable linked. As Christians our Joy is rooted in our Obedience to scripture. As a believer who was wondering why I was struggling to be joyful this was not at all the news that I wanted to hear. I thought I was being obedient to scripture. But that is when the imagery Psalms 119:14 hit me between the eyes. I wasn’t rejoicing to obey the scripture like I just won the lottery. But that is the picture this verse paints for us.

The more I thought about this idea, the more I believe that I’ve discovered a key to unlocking a more Joyful life. My approach on obedience to the scripture was all wrong. Obedience to the scripture shouldn’t be my Christian obligation, it is our Christian Privilege. Through the scripture God has revealed Himself to us. So then for us to obey scripture is to imitate God. Willfully taking His character as our own, and with that character come the by product of a Joy that is unaffected by conditions in this world.