Every once in a while I hear of an auction to raise money for a good cause…
… and what is bid on is the opportunity to spend an hour or two with some prominent person. Imagine for a moment what such an auction would bring to spend some time with Jesus. David expressed this in Psalm 84:10 when he spoke of the joy in dwelling with God.
To be a Christian allows for us to experience that pleasure every day as well as our knowing that we will experience His presence up close and personal for eternity. This truth causes me to wonder why so many freely choose to live a life without Christ.
J.I.Packer once said that if we have God in our heart we will taste His pleasure on a daily basis. I believe that to be true as even last evening following a semi-pro basketball game I attended with family my favorite player out of the approximate 20 players on the court was standing alone visiting at the exist we chose to leave by giving me an opportunity to meet him. In my mind that was God adding a little extra pleasure to my life, but whether it was or was not the ability and choice to live according to the gifts of the Holy Spirit keeps me in God’s presence 24/7.
To experience Christian pleasure we must first of all subject our self to God’s will (2 Corinthians 12:10). That may mean some form of stress in our life but if done for the sake of Christ it will actually strengthen us. The key is we must stand firm in our faith and boldly proclaim it. Turning our lives over completely to God allows His pleasure to be shown through us (Philippians 2:13). People who accomplish great things often speak of what inspired them. We also are meant for great things as we have God as our inspiration.
Today and every day we can live a fulfilled life for through our faith God will see to it that we have not just a day of pleasure spent with Him but an eternity.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Christian pleasure is plentiful when faith is placed in our personal Savior.
DEVOTIONAL VERSE FOR TODAY: 1 Corinthians 12:10 “the key to Christian pleasure”.
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord thank you for all of life’s pleasure.
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
- What prominent people do you desire to spend time with?
- What pleasures has God provided you?
- What inspires you?
- How do others see God through your life?
*** Gary Jerke *** Is a former State Representative, author and Life and Liberty News contributor
