Post by Cindy on May 14, 2016 9:57:29 GMT -5
The real object of joy, of course, is God. He is what all earthly joys reflect. Throughout history people have found great joy because the Lord is present (Psalm 21:6). God is the joy and delight of his people (Psalm 43:4).
This was Jonathan Edwards’s test of true religion. Do you find joy in God? “Joy . . . consists in the sweet entertainment their minds have in the view or contemplation of the divine and holy beauty of these things [the character of God], as they are in themselves. And this is the main difference between the joy of the hypocrite and the joy of the true saint. The former rejoices in himself . . . the latter rejoices in God” [Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections (New Haven: Yale Univ., 1959), p. 240].
Some find the thought of heaven boring. But once you start finding joy in the Lord, you will find an inexhaustible delight. God is the God of joy and gladness, he freely and liberally gives joy to his people, and he actually commands us to search for it in him (Psalm 106:4–5; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Therefore, the psalmist truly understands God’s thoughts when he prays, “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice” (Psalm 51:8). This is not a selfish prayer; it is purposeful. The psalmist wants to be what he was intended to be, the person every follower of Christ will one day be—a joyful worshiper.
“O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give! You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever. Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the LORD will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them. You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind. Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed; for you will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow. Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.” (Psalm 21)
Heart of the matter: Daily reflections for changing hearts and lives
This was Jonathan Edwards’s test of true religion. Do you find joy in God? “Joy . . . consists in the sweet entertainment their minds have in the view or contemplation of the divine and holy beauty of these things [the character of God], as they are in themselves. And this is the main difference between the joy of the hypocrite and the joy of the true saint. The former rejoices in himself . . . the latter rejoices in God” [Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections (New Haven: Yale Univ., 1959), p. 240].
Some find the thought of heaven boring. But once you start finding joy in the Lord, you will find an inexhaustible delight. God is the God of joy and gladness, he freely and liberally gives joy to his people, and he actually commands us to search for it in him (Psalm 106:4–5; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Therefore, the psalmist truly understands God’s thoughts when he prays, “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice” (Psalm 51:8). This is not a selfish prayer; it is purposeful. The psalmist wants to be what he was intended to be, the person every follower of Christ will one day be—a joyful worshiper.
“O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give! You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever. Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the LORD will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them. You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind. Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed; for you will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow. Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.” (Psalm 21)
Heart of the matter: Daily reflections for changing hearts and lives
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