The Joy of Obedience

Hi!

I am currently reading a book called The Christians Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith. It is truly changing my view of what a Christians life should be like. This book was written in 1870 and still holds great truth for today, so I want to share her thoughts in the chapter entitled The Joy of Obedience.

Long ago I met somewhere with this sentence, "Perfect obedience would be perfect happiness, if only we had perfect confidence in the power we were obeying." I remember being struck with the saying, as the revelation of a possible, although hitherto undreamed of, way of happiness; and often afterwards, even when full of inward rebellion, did that saying recur to me as a vision of rest, and yet of a possible development, that would soothe, and at the same time satisfy all my yearnings.

Need I say that this rest has been revealed to me now, not as a vision, but as a reality; and that I have seen the Lord Jesus the Master to whom we may yield up our implicit obedience, and, taking His yoke upon us, may find our perfect rest?

You little know, dear hesitating soul of the joy you are missing. The Master has revealed Himself to you, and is calling for your complete surrender, and you shrink and hesitate. A measure of surrender you are willing to make, and think indeed it is fit and proper that you should. But an utter abandonment, without any reserves, seems to you too much to be asked for. You are afraid of it. It involves too much, you think, and is too great a risk. To be measurably obedient you desire; to be perfectly obedient appalls you.

Remember that He loves you more than the love of friendship. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so does He rejoice over you, and nothing but the brides surrender will satisfy Him. He has given you all, and He asks for all in return. The slightest reserve will grieve Him to the heart. He spared not Himself, and how can you spare yourself? For your sake He poured out in a lavish abandonment all that He had, and for His sake you must pour out all that you have without stint or measure.

Oh be generous in your self-surrender! Meet His measureless devotion for you with a measureless devotion to Him. Be glad and eager to throw yourself unreservedly into His loving arms, and to hand over the reins of government to Him.Whatever there is of you, let Him have it all. Give up forever everything that is separate from Him. Whatever there is of you, let Him have it all. Consent to resign, from this time forward, all liberty of choice, and glory in the blessed nearness of union which makes this enthusiasm of devotedness not only possible , but necessary. Then the perfect happiness of perfect obedience will dawn upon your soul and you will know something of what Jesus meant when He said, "I delight to do thy will, O my God."

In a thousand ways He makes this offer of union with Himself to every believer. But all do not say "Yes" to Him. Other loves and other interests seem to them too precious to be cast aside. They do not miss the joy of Heaven because of this, but they miss a unspeakable present joy.

Christ himself when he was on the earth, declared the truth that there was no blessedness equal to the blessedness of obedience when he said "Blessed are those who hear the Word and keep it." We are more blessed when we hear the Word of God and obey His will.

May our surrendered hearts reach out with an eager delight to discover and embrace the lovely will of our loving God!

I was taken back about where my happiness should be focused on. Not me, Not the things of this world, but Hearing the Word of God and then obeying it out of love for my heavenly father. How many times I have thought that something wasn't fair, wasn't right... But by being surrendered only to Christ none of that matters. He is only satisfied when I am in full surrender to him. This really makes me think. I know as I pounder through this chapter over the next few days I will draw more and more out of what finding true happiness is all about.

Blessings,

Deb