ORANGE —
Let God be your joy and pleasure. The psalmist said, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:4) Verse 23 of the same chapter tells us the one who walks with the Lord delights in His way.
We were created to get great pleasure from knowing and walking with God. I’m sure Adam and Eve did before the fall. The cool of the evening must have been the highlight of their day. But with religion, we have secularized (segregated) our lives so that we place service for God and communion with Him in a box we call duty, and the pleasures of the world in a box called fun.
I believe we were designed for our greatest joy and satisfaction to come from God. The secret in King David’s life seems to be in his joy in knowing God. He even delights in all of God’s laws. I really wonder if those who get their greatest pleasures from the world really know God.
In The Message paraphrase of Psalms 37:23 it reads, “Stalwart walks in step with God; his path blazed by God, he’s happy.” Serving God out of duty does not delight.
There are onlookers who bring up questions about why God allows good an evil. They question about what God is like. They may observe religious observances and feel religious, yet have never experienced God’s joy. They are just onlookers. But those who really walk with God delight in His ways, His Word, and especially His manifest presence They know Him enough to be passionate about Him as He is of them. Serving and being near Him their greatest happiness.
The onlooker is distanced from God and finds all his pleasures and happiness in worldly things. How close are you to God? Close enough to really enjoy Him or distanced sucking up your pleasure on the world’s ways?
In Isaiah 58:12 we are told if we honor the Sabbath Day and call it a delight...”then the Lord will be our delight.” Just how we speak about the joys of the Lord will change our life. Let’s have fun serving God!
Religion
What brings you your greatest enjoyment?
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