What an amazing truth: Our God, who created the world and is Lord of all, wants us to find pleasure in our union with Him. Although He “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17), our greatest enjoyment of all should be God Himself. The satisfaction we’ll find in our relationship with Him is far superior to all else.
One of the joys we find in the Lord is acceptance. Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, God accepts those of us who believe in Christ and adopts us as His children. We who were once His enemies are now embraced as His family. Permanently accepted by God, we never have to fear condemnation and are free to enjoy rich intimacy with Him.
The Lord has done all that is necessary for us to have a relationship with Him, but there are certain actions we can take that will increase our enjoyment of Him.
• Praising God for who He is and what He’s done will make our hearts rejoice.
• Spending time listening and getting to know Him through His Word will increase our closeness and deepen our enjoyment of Him.
• Refusing to believe lies—for example, that we should be afraid of our Father or that our sin is too great to be forgiven—frees us to receive His love and know the joy of forgiveness.
If you’ve lost your joy in the Lord, ask Him to reignite it. Then take the steps necessary to rekindle your relationship with Him. The more you learn to love Him, the greater will be your joy.
Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 9-11
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