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I belong to this writing group on the inter-net. It’s opened a whole new world for me. Instead of journals filled and hidden away in a desk drawer, I now have an outlet for my writing.
The site provides an avenue for sharing my writing, as well as a “weekly writing challenge”. This is a great opportunity to stretch and exercise my ability as I am given a topic on which to write, as well as a deadline. Also, they accept only two hundred submissions, so the pressure is on, especially for a beginner like me. I’m not exactly familiar with thinking outside the box…much less getting outside the box!
My topic for this week is “JOY”. One would surely think that this being a web site for Christians and joy being one of the spiritual fruit, this topic would be a cinch for all of us. It may be for many, but I have found it particularly difficult
Jesus tells us in John’s gospel 15:11, to abide in Him, so that His joy will be in us, and that our joy will be full. Our level of joy is dependent upon our abiding or staying connected to our savior. Our abiding or staying connected is dependent upon our obedience to Him. Our obedience to Him is dependent upon our faithful study and meditation upon His word, that it might be written on our hearts; our obedience is dependent upon the depth of our prayer life; our obedience is also dependent upon our joining with the body of Christ…connecting with others on that same narrow path, and we will know them by their fruit, as we will be known by ours.
My final analogy on this thing called joy is that it’s quite a conundrum…sounds like joy is equivalent to obedience, which is equivalent to discipline, which requires surrender, which is equivalent to dying. How could that be? We need only to abide in Jesus, to understand. He indeed has shown us by example, a life of disciplined obedience, full surrender and finally death, only to live again…that our joy may be full!
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