How to Enjoy a Holy Life: Finding Joy in God’s Loving Boundaries - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - November 3
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” – John 15:9-11, NIV
My family and I visit Shenandoah National Park regularly. While there, we love to drive the famous Skyline Drive on top of the mountains that overlook the Shenandoah Valley. We were coming around a curve with a spectacular view when I tried to take a picture from the car and felt annoyed that a guardrail was obstructing the view. Having those big hunks of gray metal messing up the natural scene I wanted to capture seemed so restrictive. But I'd changed my mind by the time we stopped at a parking area for a hike. We could have accidentally driven off the cliff if the guardrails had been removed. Yes, they were restrictive, but they were actually good for us! We could enjoy the park fully by staying safe.
God’s commandments are like those guardrails. They’re not arbitrary rules meant to make your life miserable. They’re loving, protective boundaries given by your Heavenly Father, who knows the road of life perfectly. God knows all the dangerous cliffs in this fallen world that can send your life plunging into ruin. His commands to forgive, be generous, speak truth, and walk humbly aren’t meant to hold you back. Instead, they’re meant to protect your soul, relationships, and peace so you can enjoy life's journey.
Have you ever thought that living a holy life must be boring? It’s a familiar feeling. It’s easy to picture a life with a long list of “don’ts” that get in the way of all the fun. God can seem like a cosmic killjoy, eager to spoil your good time.
But look again at what Jesus says in these verses. After discussing love and commandments, Jesus gives the ultimate reason: “that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” This doesn’t sound like a boring, restrictive life at all! Jesus says the path to the most joyful life imaginable is right between God’s love and commands. How can this be?
God’s love is the most potent force that exists! It’s so strong that God actually is love at his core.
Everything that flows from God to you comes from this place of intense, personal love. God isn’t a distant dictator who gives you arbitrary rules to follow. He’s a loving Father speaking to you as a beloved child. So, when Jesus tells you to “abide in my love,” he invites you to live confidently in this incredible reality. You never have to try to earn God’s love, and you never have to worry about losing it, either. Jesus invites you to receive that love and live within it.
Jesus connects abiding in his love with keeping his commands. That can sound confusing, like Jesus demands that you do what he says to experience his love. But that’s not it at all. Jesus says that because he loves you, he shows you the best way to live, so you can be well and enjoy your life to the fullest!
Jesus’ ultimate goal for you is a life full of joy. Joy is much greater than happiness, the best our fallen world can offer. Happiness depends entirely on your circumstances. If things are going well, you’re happy. If they’re not, you’re unhappy. Happiness is unreliable and temporary.
The joy Jesus offers you is entirely different. Joy is a deep, steady peace and confidence that comes from being sure of God’s love for you, regardless of the circumstances around you. When you live within God’s loving guardrails, you can break free from the weight of sin and enjoy a truly fulfilling life. You get to experience the peace of a clear conscience and the security of knowing you live in ways your Creator says are best for you.
When you live a holy life by trusting God’s loving commands, you don’t restrict yourself from enjoyment – you make room for the fullness of joy that only Jesus can give you.
Let’s pray:
Dear Jesus, thank you for loving me with the same love the Father has for you. Please help me stop seeing your commandments as restrictive rules and start seeing them as loving guardrails designed for my protection and well-being. I want to abide in your love every day. Teach me to obey your commands with trust that you want what’s best for me, so I can be free from everything less than the best and be filled with your complete and lasting joy. Thank you; amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Maya Karkalicheva
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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
