Amen, we are free from sin by God’s work and grace, we are brought back to His family and joy in Him.
I came back from the Uni Conference this weekend, where we learned about the Lord as our joy, how the Lord speaks and teaches to complete our joy in Him, how our God is a God of joy.
However, if this weekend has taught me anything recently, it’s that we can also be our own slavers, especially when we don’t seek our joy in the Lord.
Whether we sin or go to the world, I understand better now that unless I spend time with Him, unless I follow what He tells me, I not only don’t enter into the joy of the master, I’m making an accusation against God.
God’s ways are above everyone’s, God knows all and thus knows better. So when He decrees what I can(not)/must (not) do, and yet I don’t follow His direction, I am not just disobeying Him, I am accusing Him.
I’m telling Him that I don’t trust Him to know better (and yet I’m supposed to be saved by grace through FAITH).
I’m saying I don’t trust Him to have what’s good for me in mind (and yet I am supposed to believe God knows everything).
How can I say I have faith in Him if I don’t trust His ways? How can I find my joy in Him if I look for joy elsewhere? I heard a few testimonies from the brothers in that time, about ways God led them where they did not expect, and they don’t regret it.
I distinctly remember one brother quoting Hebrews where it talked of Moses and how despite his upbringing in one of the wealthiest most powerful families in the world, he still refused to associate with it and chose to side with the enslaved Israelites for the good things of Christ, who Himself for the joy set before Him suffered the cross.
That’s another thing, God isn’t looking just for our joy in Him, He seeks joy in us! He made man, and He built the church because it makes Him happy to have such a family of believers who love Him.
It got me also thinking of the first chapters of Isaiah and the letters of Paul, and how God says He’s exhausted by the hypocritical worship of the children of Israel, how they sin but still try to do the festivals and offerings, how God gets sick and tired of it, how in my turning away from God by sin and distractions I grieve His Holy Spirit.
God is not just angered, He is saddened, even sickened (although not actually weakened) by our disobedience. But He is happy when we trust and follow Him.
Sharing by Matthieu I. from his top enjoyment in the recent 2024 Autumn University Conference in UK. If you were at this conference and you want to share your enjoyment, email us or place a comment below.