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Feb 16, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 111

We are commanded in the Scriptures to delight in God. "Delight yourself in the LORD" (Psa 37:4); "Rejoice in the Lord" (Phil 3:1; 4:4).  This joy is one of the characteristics that the Holy Spirit is working in Christians, according to Galatians 5:22-24.  This emotion must not be confused with the lightheartedness that comes and goes as our circumstances change.  Biblical joy is a weighty delight of heart which is rooted in the unchangeable character of God and His work.  Therefore this joy is an abiding pleasure of soul that can be present even in the darkest of circumstances.

The source of this joy is the unchanging God Himself.  ". . . in your presence there is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore " (Psa 16:11).  The means of acquiring delight in God is to understand and believe what God has said.  "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing . . ." (Rom 15:13).  "Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart" (Jer 15:16).

The results of joy include strength in suffering and victory over sin.  When joy permeates our soul then any earthly suffering is bearable.  When joy in God is our greatest delight, we lose our taste for sin.  So joy in our God is both a powerful motive in life and the goal of all life.  Wisely does the Westminster Catechism answer, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever,"