- Joy in Christ and the Light of Christ might be parallels or synonyms
- Different sources of flame represent different types or intensities of the Light of Christ
- Match: temporary; could be used to start a more permanent flame
- Candle: limited lifespan; delicate and vulnerable
- Campfire: contained but hard to hide; potential for unlimited life
- Bonfire: flirting with out of control; very difficult to sustain for long; impossible to keep hidden
The above list of bullet points were a quick outline this morning of an analogy comparing testimony or the light of Christ within us to fire. I had planned to flesh it out tonight but it’s late enough that I don’t want to do that right now.
I have been thinking throughout the day about how to find more/stronger joy in Christ—to move from match to candle, candle to campfire, or campfire to bonfire. Through my thinking I believe it comes from cultivating a certain type of aspect of a testimony of Christ. It seems to me that the most direct way to cultivate joy in Christ is to increase gratitude for Christ.
The more someone gratefully acknowledges Christ in all aspects of their life the more joy in Christ they will feel. For example, at the beginning of last week I gained a profound new appreciation of the physical body I have been given for this mortal experience. With that new appreciation I also grew in gratitude for the giver of that gift. The more we see gifts from God and truly appreciate them the more we will have joy in and love for the giver of all good gifts.
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