Oswald Chambers: Joy - Strength In The LordSample

The joy of Jesus lay in knowing that every power of His nature was in such harmony with His Father that He did His Father’s will with delight. Some of us are slow to do God’s will; we do it as if our shoes were iron and lead; we do it with a great sigh and with the corners of our mouths down, as if His will were the most arduous thing on earth. But when our wills are rectified and brought into harmony with God, it is a delight, a super-abounding joy, to do God’s will.

Talk to saints about suffering and they look at you in amazement. “Suffering? What suffering?” Suffering is a matter of interpretation. For the saint it is an overwhelming delight in God; not delight in suffering, but if God’s will should lead through suffering, there is delight in His will.

Reflection Questions: Why am I slow to do God’s will? What false belief makes me think that God doesn’t want me happy? When have I experienced the delight of doing God’s will?

Quotations taken from The Moral Foundations of Life, © Discovery House Publishers