Delight, Desire and Joy in God

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Some days, I wonder if God feels about my faith the same way I feel about food while on a diet: if it tastes good, spit it out. In the ministries we have, the common mindset seems to be if I want to do it, then it’s probably selfish and not of God. So I just do what is commanded without thought, letting obedience become duty and obligation…a joyless ritual that must be observed or we have failed to be holy.

Based on the verse above, am I justifying myself in religious busyness or am I delighting myself in Him? Is the work at hand the desire of my heart?

This is an example of spiritual cause-and-effect…how do I delight myself in the Lord? The psalmist answers in verses 5-6. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Commit my way to Him? Scripture tells us how in John 15:9-11: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Obedience out of love leads to joy and righteousness. With those in hand, the justice of our cause becomes the brightest light in the sky, like the noonday sun – if our cause is to follow Him…and we encourage others to join us!

In consideration of how I commit my way to Him and His cause, here are some thoughts:

• In preparing a lesson, working a youth event or cleaning up after a meal, am I loving my Savior or checking off one more item on the to-do list?
• Is my attitude and demeanor attractive to the lost?
• Am I laboring for my salvation (grace by works)?
• Have I presented the joy He brings in our redemption or have I placed joy under the bushel so that none may see by it?

My delight should be that the desire of my heart is to have my joy complete in Him!