Sunday, October 08, 2006

A Prosperous Life - Lesson 6 - Delight

Psalm 1:1-3, ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’

Delight, another word for enjoyment,
Another word for joy,
Also another word for happiness.

Happiness is neither within us only, or without us; it is the union of ourselves with God. –Pascal

So how do we form this union?
How do we strengthen this union?

How did we form a union with our spouse?
He had to spend time together.
Remember when you couldn’t wait to be reunited with your spouse?

How did we strengthen that union?
We had to ask questions.
We had to do things that person liked and
Stop doing things they didn’t like.

We had to share things about ourselves.
The good times we remember with fond memories,
And those tough times that we try to block from our memories.
Those times that give us nightmares
Those times we never want our loved ones to go through.

Can that union be strengthened with 15 minutes of casual conversation?
Can that union be strengthened by avoiding the other person?
Can that union be strengthened by lying to that person?

How much time do we spend communicating with the Lord?
How much time do we spend listening to Him?
How many excuses do we give Him?
How many times have we cheated on Him?

Jeremiah 6:10, ‘To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.’

That is how the world treats our Lord.
Do we also treat Him that way some times?





Job 34:9, ‘For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.’

He said – Not in express terms,
but by consequence;
because he said that good men were no less,
nay, sometimes more miserable here than the wicked.

We get mad at our children when they act like the children of the world.
How does the Lord feel of us when we act the same way?





Psalm 40:8, ‘I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.’

External service is nothing in the sight of God,
without obedience of heart to his revealed will.

What does this verse say to you?





It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. -Spurgeon

Psalm 63:7, ‘Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.’

Like a mother hen protecting her young,
Allowing no harm to come to them.
We are in that same warm and safe place.

Sounds like the only time we can get in trouble or hurt is when we leave that safe environment.
Wouldn’t you agree?





Psalm 112:1, ‘Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.’

That reverent fear which is in the children of God,
which causes them to delight only in the word of God.

I know some times we don’t go to the Lord soon enough
or often enough because we blame it on our busy schedules.
Maybe we don’t go to Him soon enough because of our wrong definition of fear.
Are we afraid of Him when we need to have more reverence for Him?





That delighteth greatly – It is not enough to fear God, we must also love him:
Fear will deter us from evil;
Love will lead us to obedience.
The more we fear and love God,
The more obedient we will be;
Until at last we will delight greatly in the commandments
of our Maker.

True fear produces obedience and this happiness.

Isaiah 49:13-17, ‘Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.’

Other people might forget us but the Lord won’t.
Your parent’s might call you up a week after your birthday.
But your Lord didn’t forget.

What does this verse say to you?





Happy is the soul that has something to look backward to with pride, and something to look forward to with hope. -Wilson

Isaiah 58:2, ‘Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.’

We need to take delight in approaching to God.
He is not that evil fault finding foster parent.
He is not that drunken abusive stepfather.

We were born into His family.
We need to seek Him daily.
Not only give Him a list of all our problems and struggles,
Because He already knows them.

We need to thank Him for ALL the good He allows us to have.
And possibly listen a little more during our prayers and reading.

What would you like to say of this verse?





Romans 7:22, ‘For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:’

Romans 7:22-25, ‘For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.’

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