The Christian culture I grew up in made God out to be a Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist, ready to solve my problems and make me happy.

But as I got older and experienced life in this present evil age, I realized that version of God had zero power to sustain joy in trials.But I was left asking myself "does following Jesus mean I must live a joyless, painful, dull life, obeying because I know it's just the right thing to do?" The more I read the scriptures, the more I realized the answer to that question was a resounding "no".

Over and over again, the scriptures connect *obedience* with *delight*.

Yes, maybe for some new believers, there is an initial joy of knowing that their sins are forgiven. But modern Christianity has often neglected to emphasize the joy and delight that comes from obedience. 

How does this even work? How is it possible to have joy through trials and delight in obedience to Jesus' teachings?

I offer a humble explanation with some passages of scripture in this short video:

-Joshua Hawkins