JOY AND HAPPINESS ARE REWARDS
FOR THOSE WHO SEEK THE LORD!
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.”
(Matthew 7:7)
BIBLE PASSAGE:
He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.
(2 Chronicles 12:14)
One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell
in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty
of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
(Psalm 27:4)
MEDITATION:
The two scriptures above show a stark contrast
between two hearts, attitudes, desires, and faith.
One is subject to evil influences,
and the other has an upbeat blissfulness.
One is controlled by ‘self’,
and the other is controlled by the ‘Spirit’.
Some people reject the idea of becoming a Christian
because they say they will have to start obeying God’s
commands, and they don’t want to have any more commitments.
To them, it is a form of slavery to God.
So what do they do instead?
They remain in slavery to the world and its sinfulness.
Let’s think about this contrast for a moment.
Satan wants to keep us enslaved to him during our entire life on
earth, but he has nothing good to promise us when our lifetime ends.
In fact, he wants to keep us blinded to the fact that his “reward”
for being a slave to him, is an eternity of pain, agony, and more
importantly, separation from God and the blessings He has available
for us.
God, on the other hand, wants our commitment to Him so that we can
enjoy our lifetime on earth (an entirely different type of joy than what
Satan offers, but joy nonetheless – a greater one than the world can provide).
What does God promise after death to those who belong to Him?
He rewards us with an eternity of bliss, which is so great
that our minds cannot conceive, or imagine its magnitude.
So it boils down to this, doesn’t it?
We have a choice of being enslaved to either God, or Satan (the world).
We need to remember that our life on earth is no more
than a blink of an eye when compared to eternity, so in essence,
we are not choosing how we will live our earthly life, but rather
what eternity will be like for us after our lifetime on earth ends.
When we make the right choice, not only will we secure an eternity
like we could never have imagined, but we will also experience new
blessings while we live now.
Satan doesn’t have a plan for our joy on earth, he just
convinces us that we should keep trying different things
(usually sinful things – anything in opposition to God)
until we start enjoying what we ‘think’ is joy and happiness.
As a result, we discover that our life has become unstable and
frustrating, as we move from one thing to another in search of
joy and happiness.
God, on the other hand, has given us some specifics
for finding true joy in a relationship with Him.
And we know from His track record and His omnipotence,
that whatever He says is true and can be trusted.
Look at His instructions in Isaiah 58:13-14.
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing
as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and
the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by NOT not
going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle
words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause
you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on
the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD
has spoken. (Isaiah 58:13-14)
Essentially, God is telling us that whenever we go ‘His way’
instead of ‘our way’, then we will be rewarded with a joy
which cannot be offered, or duplicated, by the world and its ways.
Does it mean we have to give up some things?
Of course it does, but whatever we give up will be overshadowed
by something much better that will give us a greater peace and joy.
ACTION:
How do we respond to the advice in God’s Word?
Some will reject His plan and choose to live
a sinful life in disobedience and defiance of His way.
We all stumble at times, but whenever we choose a lifestyle
that is out of God’s Will, we have chosen to go ‘our own way’
and ignore His plans for us.
Some will attend worship services in an effort
to ease their guilt for living a sinful life on a daily basis.
If we talk about the Lord and faith as if Jesus is Lord of our life,
but our lifestyle defies His Will, then He cannot be the Lord of our life.
For instance, God clearly says that sex outside the bonds of marriage
is a sin, and yet some are living adulterous lives while claiming Jesus
is Lord.
Still others have chosen to ‘shack up’ with someone without marrying
them in order to fulfill their physical (and possibly emotional) desires
in this life.
What sin are you holding on to?
But God has promised there will be a final judgment where all of our
excuses and justifications will have no meaning, and will not influence
His verdict. We should choose to live our lives in accordance with His
will not out of a fear of the judgment, but from a desire to enjoy our
fellowship with Him and the blessings He has for those who love Him.
The good news is, those living in sin can change and be forgiven
by our merciful and loving God, but they have to change!
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, help me in my efforts to make Jesus, Lord
of my life. Forgive me for my sins and cleanse me from all
unrighteousness so I can seek Him with all my heart. I know
that when He is Lord, I can enjoy living now, and look forward
to my day of resurrection when I will move to my heavenly home
and sit at the table with the Lord of my life.”
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