Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Week Twenty Five - Delightfully

One of the first verses that meant anything to me was Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart." I took this promise to heart, and I can tell you that God keeps His promises. He has given me more than my heart could have ever imagined because I chose to take Him at His word. I set Him to be my delight.

Spurgeon took this verse as a subject of one of his devotions, writing, "The life of the believer is here described as a delight in God, and we are thus certified of the great fact that true religion overflows with happiness and joy. Ungodly persons and those who merely profess faith never look upon religion as a joyful thing; to them it is service, duty, or necessity but never pleasure or delight."

When I read his devotion, I had to stop and think about this. Are there people who think it is a waste of time to serve the Lord? Yes. Are there people who believe you have lost your mind when you speak of all God has done for you? Yes. Are there people who see the church as demeaning, demanding, or brainwashing? Yes. Are there Christians who begrudge service, withhold, and resist the leading of the Lord? Yes.

To them, Spurgeon says, "The thought of delight in religion is so strange that no two words in their language stand further apart than "holiness" and "delight." They do not equate the two together.

And yet, those who know the Lord and choose to accept the promise of Psalm 37:4 understand the blessed unity. Those who love God with all their hearts find His ways pleasant and His paths peaceful. For all the joys, delights, and blessings the saints discover in their Lord, Spurgeon says, "that so far from serving Him from custom, they would follow Him though all the world cast out His name as evil."

To the child of God, there is no coercion. Our faith is not a fetter, bondage, or duty. It is a joy. There is joy in serving Jesus, delightful joy. Spurgeon says, "Our piety is our pleasure, our hope is our happiness, our duty is our delight."

Dear friend, how do you view Christianity? Do you know joy? Do you delight yourself in the Lord? Do you serve Him willingly? Is He your source of contentment and purpose? That is the only way you can claim the promise of this verse. "He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." It's like a blank cheque, an golden opportunity, or a limitless blessing for those who love God and delightfully serve Him. 

Where is your delight?

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