Delight and Rejoice!

"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" - Philippians 4:4

I am forever learning things as I read the Bible. These two verses are just an example of what I have learned this week. Life should be about rejoicing. Not only about this life that God has given us, but rejoicing about the lives of the others around us as well. It's about looking at life differently, as if through someone else's eyes.

For example, I rejoice in my wife. Yes, we have our differences. We have our disagreements. But we've been married for over 47 years and I still rejoice in her.

Hete's the real question though. Do we rejoice in God? Or do we think of Him as a holy disciplinarian? The Enforcer. OR, do we think of God as someone we are married to? Hmm. Think about that one for a minute. Jesus is often referred to as the bridegroom after all. And we are His bride, right?

Do you rejoice in your wife or your husband? Do you rejoice in your friends? How about your enemies? We are supposed to love them too.

I think what I'm trying to say is that we should rejoice in ALL things. Good, bad, happy, or sad.

Now, what brings you delight in this world? Is it personal success? Is it having enough money at the end of the month to pay all of your bills? Or do we delight in the Lord? He has promised to give us things if we do. "The desires of our heart."

What if we filled up our lives with delight, along with rejoicing? Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing? Isn't that what God desires for our hearts? And just what kind of desires should those be? I can sum them up in three words.

"Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13

If we place our faith in Jesus, He provides us with hope. And if we have hope for our future, isn't that delightful and a cause to rejoice? You betcha!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11