THE JOYFUL LIFE
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Blog
    • HEART
      • Faith
      • Bible Study & Theology
      • Marriage
      • Motherhood
        • Motherhood (ALL)
        • Parenting Toddlers to Tweens
        • Parenting Teens
        • Parenting Adult Children
        • Raising Boys
        • Raising Girls
      • Divorce | Single Motherhood | Blended Families
      • Adoption & Foster Care
      • Infertility & Miscarriage
      • Friendship & Community
    • HOME
      • DIY Projects
      • Family & Home Management
      • Fun for Kids
      • Homemaking
      • Homeschool
      • Hospitality
      • Recipes
    • LIFE ISSUES
      • Anxiety
      • Difficult Family Dynamics
      • Emotions
      • Health
      • Identity & Purpose
      • Loss | Suffering | Grief
      • Work & Life Balance
    • REVIEWS
      • App Reviews
      • Book Reviews
      • Product Reviews
    • FEATURED INTERVIEWS
    • SEASONAL & HOLIDAY
  • Daily Devotions
  • About
    • Meet the Team
      • Management & Staff
      • Editorial Team
      • Blog Contributors
      • Devotion Writers
      • Photographers
    • Statement of Faith
  • Work with Us
    • Write for Us
    • Advertise
    • Employment
  • Contact
  • account
The Joyful Life News
Sign up to receive Joyful Life Community news, weekly blog post updates, shop announcements, and more.
A QUARTERLY COLLECTIBLE | Heart & Home Inspiration
THE JOYFUL LIFE
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Blog
    • HEART
      • Faith
      • Bible Study & Theology
      • Marriage
      • Motherhood
        • Motherhood (ALL)
        • Parenting Toddlers to Tweens
        • Parenting Teens
        • Parenting Adult Children
        • Raising Boys
        • Raising Girls
      • Divorce | Single Motherhood | Blended Families
      • Adoption & Foster Care
      • Infertility & Miscarriage
      • Friendship & Community
    • HOME
      • DIY Projects
      • Family & Home Management
      • Fun for Kids
      • Homemaking
      • Homeschool
      • Hospitality
      • Recipes
    • LIFE ISSUES
      • Anxiety
      • Difficult Family Dynamics
      • Emotions
      • Health
      • Identity & Purpose
      • Loss | Suffering | Grief
      • Work & Life Balance
    • REVIEWS
      • App Reviews
      • Book Reviews
      • Product Reviews
    • FEATURED INTERVIEWS
    • SEASONAL & HOLIDAY
  • Daily Devotions
  • About
    • Meet the Team
      • Management & Staff
      • Editorial Team
      • Blog Contributors
      • Devotion Writers
      • Photographers
    • Statement of Faith
  • Work with Us
    • Write for Us
    • Advertise
    • Employment
  • Contact
  • account
0

Ordered Love

  • Sandi Warner
  • November 28, 2022
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

One Sunday, during a sermon at church, our pastor shared an Augustine quote about disordered love. I had read it before, but upon hearing it again that morning, my heart was profoundly affected. I left church asking myself, with sincere honesty: Have I lost sight of my first love?

Our hearts are so prone to wander. I love Jesus—with all my heart—but my love so easily becomes disordered. Our hearts are in a relentless and exhausting battle over our affections, waged against a deceptively enticing world.

Consider Augustine’s words: “But living a just and holy life requires one to be capable of an objective and impartial evaluation of things: to love things, that is to say, in the right order, so that you do not love what is not to be loved, or fail to love what is to be loved, or have a greater love for what should be loved less, or an equal love for things that should be loved less or more, or a lesser or greater love for things that should be loved equally.”

It is only by keeping our adoration for Christ at the forefront of our hearts and minds that we can rightly live and rightly love. It affords us the grace necessary to persevere in turning our love outward to a world that desperately needs it but is often hostile toward God. It offers us a joy that is unattainable by any other means.

Augustine writes: “There is a joy that is not given to those who do not love you, but only to those who love you for your own sake. You yourself are their joy. Happiness is to rejoice in you and for you and because of you. This is happiness and there is no other. Those who think that there is another kind of happiness look for joy elsewhere, but theirs is not true joy.”

Dear friend, it is my prayer today that your heart would be prompted toward deep, genuine, and intentional adoration of Jesus, and that it will compel you toward transformative obedience—producing a joy unlike any you’ve ever experienced.

0
0
0
0
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
Sandi Warner

Sandi Warner is married to her favorite person in the world, her husband Tim, and is the mother of 5 children (4 boys and 1 girl) ages 9 to 27. She is the Founder and Editor of The Joyful Life Magazine, as well as a Christian writer, photographer, DIY enthusiast, and pinner of food. She writes about navigating life by leaning hard on grace and Jesus.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

VISIT OUR SHOP
  • Issue 11 | REST — Digital Version $14.00
  • Issue 07 | DELIGHT — Digital Version $14.00
  • Issue 15 | ADVENTURE — Digital Version $14.00
Follow Us on Instagram
The Joyful Life News
Sign up to receive Joyful Life Community news, weekly blog post updates, shop announcements, and exclusive offers for our subscribers.

AMAZON AFFILIATE PROGRAM DISCLAIMER | The Joyful Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Every purchase you make through our Amazon affiliate links supports our ministry at no additional cost to you.

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • WRITE FOR US
  • EMPLOYMENT
  • ADVERTISE
  • Terms
  • ACCOUNT
  • Contact
© 2022 The Joyful Life Co., LLC
Site Design by Maize Agency

Input your search keywords and press Enter.