WHAT IS YOUR DELIGHT?

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Blessed is the one  who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 1 

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Think about all the things that bring you joy in life. What is it that you delight in the most?

The world certainly offers us so many things to take pleasure in and so maybe the answer to the question is a difficult one. For with so much available, how can a person pick just one thing that makes them happy – one thing they delight in more than another?

Note that the question is more focused on what we think might bring us happiness and with that, we might find ourselves more centered on our desires instead of the Lord’s. This is an important point to remember as we look at God’s word for today. For while the things of the world provide temporary satisfaction, the matters of God are eternally rewarding, both now and forever.

Our scripture from the first Psalm offers us a clue from God’s word as to how to find happiness and it doesn’t involve our attention to any of the world’s trappings. Rather, it requires our obedience to the Lord’s law – to His commands and expectations for our lives found through the study of the Bible and committing ourselves in obedience to follow the path God places before us, a path illuminated by the light of His Holy Spirit, our personal guide. The person who reads from the Bible daily, meditating day and night over the wisdom and understanding God imparts from it, will be blessed or happy. And as we experience this happiness, a happiness that never wanes because it is a holy happiness, we’ll want to feel it over and over and over again. Spiritually, we begin to thrive and grow, just like the tree that is planted by streams of water. As our thirst for meaning in life gets quenched by the living water found in the scriptures, we start to produce fruit in season, using the gifts God has granted to make a difference in the lives of others. We live and think in a way that is self sacrificing and not self serving, the attitude that is at the center of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And when we serve others in the Spirit of Christ, know and trust that our work will prosper, for the fruits of our sacrificial labor will bring others to delight in the Lord we do and thus He, not we, will be glorified and magnified.

As we embark on this journey through the Psalms, what better way to start than a devotion that concentrates on the delight that is found in God’s word – a delight we should all be yearning for?

My prayer is that you will join me in finding this delight, meditating on the word of the Lord day and night and allowing Him to continue nurturing us and helping us grow fruit that will serve others and glorify His Holy and Precious Name.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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