“Again, very few realize how much the absence of spiritual joy and its manifestations dishonour God. Few realize how great a stumbling block it is to men to see professed Christians go about with a heart all sorrowful, bowed down and hatefully selfish. Many show no trust, or almost none, in God; no joy in the light of His countenance; and no preparation of heart for doing anything efficiently in God's service. It is a living reproach to the name of Jesus, that His people should appear thus before either their brethren or the world...
“Legalists are greatly stumbled at those who possess the joy of God's salvation. Legalist are never happy in themselves but always in a straitjacket with every muscle drawn up with a tightness never to be relaxed. They do not know about such a joyous state of mind. They see a great many things that look suspicious.
“When they see souls rejoicing greatly in the Lord, O, they don't know about that. If a Christian's soul triumphs in his God, alas, they say to themselves, what can that mean? There is nothing like that in my religion! There is quite too much cheerfulness often in other people's religion to suit their taste, or to tally with their own experience. Never having had any experience in such joys as those, they are greatly scandalized.”—Charles Finney
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I liked this post. A number of years ago I become seriously ill and my marriage fell apart...
The only prayer I could pray was "Lord; I need your joy"
You are so right; legalism kills; but freedom and joy brings strength and I know you have experienced this very joy.
btw. thanks for sharing your story on my post about the Fathers love .. on Joel Watts blog.
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