Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


9.16.2007  

Not Mine, His

John 17:13
"But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves."

I find my affections for God to be lacking, both in power and in purity. When Augustine said that a man "loves Thee too little, who loves Thee together with anything, which he loves not for Thy sake," I think he would not have been in error to have had me stand as an example of such failing love. Many is the day when I find myself close to despairing of my lack of love for my Lord, when I begin to long for heaven not because I might see my Savior face to face, but because I am simply weary of displeasing Him, crushed under the weight of His holy Word.

Yet, is that why my Lord would have me long? Is His burden truly so crushing? Hardly!

When I look to the Word, I find that I often go wearily, despondently, dutifully. I find that joy is an alien emotion, a savored flavor that I once experienced long ago, one I speak well of with others but secretly wonder, "Where has it gone?" Nevertheless, Jesus clearly declares His purpose to us by praying that His joy would be made full in us. His joy! Can you imagine the irrepressible joy of God? I can't. I've been accused of being a grumpy old man far too many times to count, and rightly so. God may be accused of being grumpy, but he's never seen a sunrise He didn't like, never felt an emotion He didn't have an answer for, never went through a day that He didn't sovereignly orchestrate to His glory.

That doesn't describe someone who's grumpy.

That describes a joyful being.

That joyful being desires for His joy to be our joy, too.

posted by Bolo | 1:43 AM
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