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What are you thankful for?
It’s the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and this is the question that everyone will ask this week (at least in the U.S.). We often say things like family, a good job, friends, a house to live in. Maybe a special talent or skill or activity that we enjoy.
But do you ever find delight in seeing a fellow believer share their faith in Christ? Or a new believer joining God’s family? Are you thankful for wisdom and rest? What about hardship and struggles?
In this week’s lesson, we find that people who follow Christ delight in all these things.
Delighting in Other Believers
In the New Testament, a frequent delight of Christians was seeing other believers live out their faith and desire to share their faith with others.
Christians delight in sharing their lives with other Christians.
1 Thessalonians 2:8: so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
2 Corinthians 7:13: By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
Christians delight in seeing people be strong in their faith and share their faith with others.
Colossians 2:5: For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Romans 10:1: Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
Christians delight in seeing people share their possessions cheerfully.
Romans 15:26: For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians 8:10-11: 10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.
As Christians, when we see others live out their faith well, it brings us joy.
Delighting in Worship and Service
Christians also delight in worship and service, two acts of faith that we often associate with the church.
Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, saying that he would delight in the fear of the Lord. Fearing the Lord is not about being afraid of him. It’s about revering who God is and worshiping him with our lives.
Isaiah 11:1-3a: 11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah also called us to delight in the Sabbath, the day we set aside for rest and to worship God. Delighting in the Sabbath brings us joy and triumph in the Lord.
Isaiah 58:13: 13 “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 going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 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.
In addition, Christians delight in seeing people serve the Lord faithfully.
Nehemiah 12:44: At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites.
1 Timothy 3:1: Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.
Worship and service are two primary acts that help us live out our faith, and if we do them with the right heart, they will bring us delight.
Delighting in God’s Gifts
As we will see in more depth next week, God delights in giving his people good gifts. Two key gifts that he gives all believers are wisdom and truth, which bring us delight.
Proverbs 10:23: A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.
Proverbs 8:10-11: 10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
1 Corinthians 13:6: Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
Family is another good gift that brings us delight.
Proverbs 23:24: The father of a righteous child has great joy;
a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.
Proverbs 29:17: Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
they will bring you the delights you desire.
The eternal inheritance we receive from God is another reason to find delight.
Psalm 16:5-6: 5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Delighting in Hardships
It’s easy to find delight in Christians living out their faith, worship and service to God, and God’s good gifts. It’s not so easy to find delight in the hard places in life—weaknesses and hardships. But that’s exactly what Paul calls us to do.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10: 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
We should also see God’s discipline as favorable because it shows his love toward us.
Proverbs 3:11-12: 11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
One hardship that we will often face is fighting against the desires of the flesh. This is one desire that we are told not to pursue. Instead, we focus on Christ and doing God’s will.
Galatians 5:24: Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Romans 13:14: Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
1 Peter 4:2: As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
2 Peter 1:3-4: 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
The Bible tells us that if we pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace instead of our evil desires, we will live such good lives that others will see that we are different and give glory to God.
2 Timothy 2:22: Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
1 Peter 2:11-12: 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Conclusion
Of these delights we listed, which one brings you the most delight? Which one are you most thankful for? For the hardships in your life, do you delight in those too, knowing that God can use those things to grow your faith? Consider doing some “out of the box” thinking this week to find the things you are thankful for that you might not otherwise notice.