Scripture Passage: “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”   Psalms 37:4

 

Dear Friends,

 

     What do you delight in?  I mean what brings you immeasurable joy?  What puts a smile on your face and song in your heart?  What is the one thing that becomes the topic of your conversation without any prodding or prompting?  That is what you delight in.

 

     I have always taken great delight in my children and grandchildren.  To watch them participate in the things they are good at brings me a lot of pleasure.  To watch them mature and grow from childhood to adulthood brings me a great deal of satisfaction because they are a natural extension of myself.  My children have become fine young men and women and each one is serving the Lord their own way and with their own abilities.  My grandchildren make good grades in school and are quick to offer to help when chores need to be done on the farm or at their grandparent’s house.  The last two are still small but they are developing their own personalities and their mom and dad are doing a good job of teaching them to be responsible.  I take great delight in the good name of my family.  “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold”   Proverbs 22:1     I delight in the fact that from my momma and daddy all the way down to my grandchildren we are known as “good people” who work hard.

 

     I also delight in the things the Lord has allowed me to obtain and acquire over the years. It is not just stuff, because I use everything I own to benefit my family, friends, and neighbors. (And sometimes even my enemies.)   I John 2:15 says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”  I use stuff and love people rather than using people and loving stuff.  I do enjoy having good tools and equipment that make a job easier and quicker.  I was mowing a sick neighbor’s yard the other day and the whole time I was praying and thanking God for what he had given me and the opportunity to serve my good friend.  I delight in having a nice automobile and a comfortable home.  I delight in a good tractor that will get the job done and the feeling of pride I experience knowing I have owned it thirty years and it still looks good because I have taken care of it.  I take a lot of pride in my yard and the fact it represents the family living there.  I also delight in some of the simple pleasures of life.  Good food and a good night’s sleep can never be underestimated.  Neither can a good friend.  My friends are absolutely the best and when I get an opportunity to do something for them or spend time with them, it brings me a lot of pleasure.

 

     But none of these things are what this passage of Scripture is talking about.  It specifically says to delight yourself in the Lord.  He should be what brings me the most pleasure and satisfaction.  I am to take delight in serving Him, praising Him, and worshiping Him.  It should be a matter of great delight every time I enter His house and fellowship with His children.  The joy of the Lord should be my strength.  Everything else I have named will one day quit, break down, or die, but if the Lord is my delight, that delight will be eternal.  It also says that if we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart.  What a wonderful promise.  My desires have changed over the years and lately they have looked a whole lot more like my Savior. I hope and pray before I die everything about me will cause people to see Jesus.  From my delights to my desires, they will all glorify the one who saved me.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Johnny