"You will show me the path of life.
In your presence is fullness of joy,
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Psalm 16:11
Pleasures forevermore…
Isn't it the constant pursuit of man ...to seek out that which pleases himself? Yet that which pleases him does not always satisfy. Indeed, if what he seeks is wrong, there will be a constant dissatisfaction in him even as he succeeds in attaining it. Wrong can never really satisfy.
On the other hand, when a man seeks God, asking him to show him the right path in life, he will find the joy that does satisfy. When he finds it and walks that path, he will find a fullness of joy that it alone can bring.
God has made each person with a God-shaped void in his heart. Nothing else and no one else can fill that void.
God has also fashioned each one uniquely. He has made each one with gifts and talents and interests and abilities unique to him. Then the Lord has set out a plan for his life, a plan that will bring about the satisfaction and fulfillment from doing that which he alone was prepared to do.
We are fearfully and wondrously made, each in his own particular way, with a specific plan to bring about the fulfillment of all that a person is.
What a shame it is for those who reach the end of their lives and realize they've wasted it. They can still be saved because salvation is not the reward of our works, salvation is a free gift for those who have placed their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. But there are rewards for service, and those rewards are eternal. There is fruit from the works of one who has sought the will of God in his life, and the fruit from that life is eternal. There are crowns to be had, for those who patiently and consistently fulfilled their purpose and fulfilled their call.
Do not stay away out of fear of what God might ask you to do, and do not compare your call with someone else's. He will not have you doing what someone else is doing and what he WILL have you doing will be exactly what he has fitted you for. And you will love it.
Always have in mind the scene of the day you stand before the Lord. Keep in mind that one who has not sought out God's plan for himself will stand in regret as he is shown ...what could have been.
Pray with me:
Father, let me not follow after the pleasures of this world thinking they will satisfy, only to find that they don't. Let me instead find your unique and personalized will for my life which you have fitted me for perfectly. I do not want there to be any regret when I stand before you. Show me the correct path for my life which you have laid out for me, that I may hear from you on that day:
"Well done, good and faithful servant;
you have been faithful over a few things,
I will make you ruler over many things.
Enter into the joy of your Lord."
Matthew 25:21-13
"May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
may the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;
may he send you help from the sanctuary,
and strengthen you out of Zion;"
Psalm 20:1-2
Who is God to you? What is your idea of him? Is he a theology to you, an "ism?" Do you see him as some force or power somewhere far off? If so, where did you get that idea? You certainly didn't get it from his Word, because his Word is all about his presence in our lives, his presence in a very real and personal way.
We are not alone. If we seek God we will come to encounter the God who is personally involved in our lives. He is not a theology, he is the living God who watches closely and personally all that we do, all that we are, and all that happens in our lives.
God has presented us with the "manufacturer's handbook" - his Word, the Bible which tells us all about him, about who he is, who we are, and what he wants for us. His Word tells us why we are the way we are, and what our destiny is. He shows us all about the message and purpose of the atonement he made for us when Jesus hung on that cross bearing the judgment on our sins, died, and then was raised from the dead - in our place. No greater love could there ever be. His Word reveals his personal love for each of us; he knows the number of hairs on your head.
If God is only a theology to you, you need to come to know him personally and find in him all the answers and resources you need for life. It's all there for you, you need only pick up that Book and read it. It's not way over your head, a child can read it and grow in the knowledge of God. Start with the Book of Psalms and concurrently, read the Gospel of John. ASK the Holy Spirit to reveal his Word to you, and that's important. ASK - each time you open that Book. Read every single day and he will reveal himself to you.
If you are in trouble, what a fitting time for you to approach the God who brought you into this world. He will send you help from the sanctuary and strengthen you. But first you must know him.
Pray with me:
Father God, I know ABOUT you, but I don't know you personally. I don't know you as a personal God who wants to be very involved in my heart and in my life. Until now you've only been a theology to me, a teaching, an idea, but not a living person who cares about me. Please bring me into that personal relationship with you and teach me about yourself, for I desire to know you personally. Until now I didn't know one could. The world has led me to believe that you put us here on this earth and then said, "I'll see you at the end, I hope you make it" as you recede into the background. Oh Father, I didn't know that that is far, far from the truth. You are present, and I want to know you in the present. Show me the way, I pray. Reveal yourself to me. And I will follow you all the days of my life.
MORE:
WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
"Do you not know that those who run in a race
all run, but one receives the prize?
Run in such a way that you may obtain it."
1st Corinthians 9:24
It's a battle, folks. It's not for the untrained. It takes endurance, hard training, tremendous effort, and persistence. Does that mean that one who does not run in such a way forfeits the prize of heaven? No, salvation is a free gift. You don't forfeit heaven by not being strong enough to finish the race victoriously.
But there IS a prize. While salvation is God's free gift to us because Jesus Christ bore the judgment on our sins, our position in heaven will have everything to do with our walk with Christ on earth. To the extent that we're willing to put our whole hearts and souls into following and serving him, there are crowns to be had, not just one but several are mentioned. There's the Crown of Life, the Crown of Glory, the Crown of Rejoicing, the Incorruptible Crown, the Crown of Righteousness, and perhaps more. We aren't given a lot of information about them or about what they will mean for us in eternity, but what do you want to bet they're desirable beyond our understanding? If only we knew HOW much so, we'd do everything in our power to strive to obtain them.
vs 25:
"And everyone who competes for the prize
is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown,
but we for an imperishable crown."
When an athlete is training for a race, he has to be temperate in all things in order to get the maximum performance out of his body. And so we, if we are to run for the crowns, we must be watching ourselves all the time lest some indiscretion weaken us and slow us down, or discourage us and perhaps make us fall out of the race. We have to maintain a constant vigilance and we'll only persist if we're deeply motivated. Who wouldn't be, if he had some inkling of the eternal joy of those wearing the crowns!
vs 27:
"Therefore I run thus, not with uncertainty.
Thus I fight, not as one who beats the air.
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection…"
Let no one think that it's out of reach for him maybe because of some weakness or flaw. No, God has provided all every one needs to attain the goal:
"His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness..."
2nd Peter 1:3
Brothers and sisters, let us pay close attention to our walk with the Lord and our service to him. Be willing to invest your life in his service, doing all you can for him knowing the rewards are SO great.
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
WHO FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM
endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God."
Hebrews 12:1-2