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Last week, we looked at what we desire before we come to Christ—what we desire when we are focused on the “old self” or the “flesh” or the “world.” It’s not really a pretty picture. We delight in wickedness, evil, and sin. We reject God, taking no pleasure in him at all. We even go so far as to ridicule those who follow God.
But something miraculous happens when we encounter Christ and begin to follow him with our lives. These verses sum it up perfectly:
Galatians 5:16-17: 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
When we choose to follow Christ, our lives and attitudes and desires are transformed. We are a new creation, in tune with the desires of the Spirit and rejecting the desires of the flesh. We find a whole new set of things that bring us delight.
This week, we are going to focus on the most fundamental delight of those who follow Christ: God himself. We delight in God, in his name, in his word, and in his works. Let’s look at each of these briefly.
We Delight in God Himself and in His Name
When we follow Christ, our greatest delight is in God himself. When we delight in someone, we think about them constantly and want to spend time with them. The same happens when we delight in God. Our desire to spend time with him increases. Our delight results in rejoicing and praise for the one in whom we delight.
Isaiah 61:10: I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Psalm 43:4: Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
When we delight in God, we find that he gives us strength to endure and he gives us the desires of our heart—not because he just gives us whatever we want, but because our desires start to align with his.
Psalm 73:25-26: 25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Psalm 37:4: Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Not only do we delight in God, but we delight in God’s name. This is a characteristic of God that I plan to explore in depth someday. As we delight in God’s name, we also delight when we see others revering God’s name.
Nehemiah 1:11: “Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
We Delight in God’s Word
Not only do we delight in God himself, but we delight in God’s word. The Bible might refer to this as God’s law, commands, decrees, statutes, or a variety of other words. But they all refer to the same thing: the instructions that God has given us to help guide us in how to live our lives in a way that honors him.
Jeremiah was so delighted with God’s word that he ate them!
Jeremiah 15:16: When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
Lord God Almighty.
Are you ever so delighted that you just want to consume God’s word as much as possible? I know I still have a lot to learn about delighting in God’s word this much.
We Delight in His Law
When we delight specifically in God’s law, or his commands, we spend time meditating on his words. We don’t neglect to spend time with God’s word.
Psalm 1:1-2: 1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
Psalm 119:16: I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
Psalm 112:1: Praise the Lord.
Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
who find great delight in his commands.
Romans 7:22: For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;
When we delight in God’s law, it directs us down the path that leads to life.
Psalm 119:35: Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
Psalm 119:77: Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
If you ever want to read more about delighting in God’s law, read through Psalm 119, noticing each time the author refers to God’s law, commands, and decrees. It’s in almost every verse!
We Delight in His Teaching
Although we may not have the pleasure of being physically with Jesus on this earth, the crowds who followed Jesus delighted in his teaching, often marveling at his wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures.
Mark 12:35-37: 35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”
The large crowd listened to him with delight.
We are fortunate enough that most of us have multiple copies of Christ’s teaching in our homes that we can delight in any time we want.
We Delight in God’s Works
God isn’t just a God who sits up in heaven and gives us commands to follow. He works in our lives to bring us salvation and deliverance. Those who follow God can recognize God’s work in their lives and rejoice in those works.
Psalm 111:2: Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
When Jesus walked this earth, the people delighted in his works—the miracles and signs he performed.
Luke 13:17: When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
We Delight in Salvation
The greatest work of God is that he brought us salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross.
Psalm 35:9: Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.
David might not have known exactly how everything would play out for the salvation God would provide, but he knew that God would bring the salvation he promised.
We Delight in Deliverance
We see throughout the Bible that God acts to deliver his people. He delivered the Israelites from slavery to the Egyptians.
Exodus 18:9: Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.
He delivered Hannah from a barren womb and blessed her with a child.
1 Samuel 2:1: Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.”
God even delivers us from our sins, as we see in the next section. Do you delight in this work of God in your life?
We Delight in Vindication
What is vindication? Vindication is the act of clearing someone’s name of guilt. We are all guilty of sin. But when we make Jesus our Lord and Master, he exchanges our sin for his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our name is cleared. We can stand before God forgiven and clean. This is one of his greatest works, and one that is great cause for delight.
Psalm 35:27: May those who delight in my vindication
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
who delights in the well-being of his servant.”
Conclusion
When you think about God, what do you find delight in? Does this affect the way you live your life, or how you spend your time? Do you find your delight draws you to God’s word and away from your worldly desires?
Feel free to leave a comment on your greatest delight in God, whether that’s God himself, God’s word, or God’s work in your life. I’d love to hear from you!
God himself, his word, and his works aren’t the only reasons that Christians find to be delighted. Come back next week to learn more about what we delight in.