{"id":14697,"date":"2026-05-23T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=14697"},"modified":"2026-04-11T05:07:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T10:07:46","slug":"joy-in-obedience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/joy-in-obedience\/","title":{"rendered":"Joy in Obedience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two-minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land, they had to cross the Jordan River. The priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, went first. As soon as their feet touched the water\u2019s edge, the river stopped flowing, and the nation crossed over on dry land. Not until the priests took the steps of obedience did the water part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obedience leads to miracles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treasuring God\u2019s commands, not just obeying them, leads to a joyous life, because we know the Lord will bless our efforts. When we obey His command to forgive, relationships get restored. Praying for our enemies keeps our hearts soft and prevents bitterness from taking root. When we take steps of faith and do what we know to do, miraculous events occur, as they did for the Israelites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lord\u2019s commandments have lasting value, passed down from generation to generation. What we inherit from God through His Word carries more weight than anything we could accumulate in this life. Nothing compares to what we find in scripture. When we trust God\u2019s promises and obey His commands, our lives will transform, and we will experience His divine joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David, thought to have authored Psalm 119, delights in God\u2019s Word not out of duty but out of joy. The Psalmist has learned that the Lord\u2019s commands don\u2019t burden us, but become a treasure, leading us on the path of righteousness. Our external obedience deepens our internal affection for the Savior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we receive God\u2019s word as our heritage, then it becomes something we love, the joy of our hearts. Transformation occurs when scripture moves from obligation to affection. The more we practice and trust the Lord\u2019s Word, the more we will love it. As God\u2019s miracles unfold before us and the water parts, our faith will deepen, and our joy will grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflection:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What do you consider your \u201cinheritance\u201d? What defines your security and identity?  Do you approach God\u2019s Word as a checklist\u2014or as a source of joy?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joy Thought:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s truth remains steady, and within it, we can find a deep, sustaining joy that the world cannot offer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two-minute read. When Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land, they had to cross the Jordan River. The priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, went first. As soon as their feet touched the water\u2019s edge, the river stopped flowing, and the nation crossed over on dry land. Not until the priests took the… Continue reading Joy in Obedience<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14697"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14701,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14697\/revisions\/14701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}