A space to discuss the essay, Delighted.
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As I read the essay my attention was drawn to this verse from John 15-
John 15:10 NIV
If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
I think its easy to misinterpret this verse and think that God will not love us unless we abide in Him. But Jesus’s point is that His love for us is constant and our responsibility is to just be in relationship with Him so that we can bear fruit.
How do we know we are abiding in Him? I have in the past fallen into the trap of assessing it based on performance and results. I now assess it based on the motivation I have to be in relationship with the Lord and others.
I am curious whether joy is a good indicator of spiritual health? If it is, what is joy? Is commitment to trust in the Lord and eternal hope when things are not going well good enough? What does joy look like when we are experiencing pain from our trials? Perhaps we can look at examples in scripture. Paul and Silas praising God when in prison is one example I have come across about keeping joy as a Christian. I would love to learn from others in the community about the joy you have experienced when abiding in Him.
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