Enjoying God 1

Psalm 34:8: O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

We have a wonderful opportunity as believers to know God and to know he is good. And that He loves us and wants what is best for us. The Bible says in many ways and places that he is good. And if we genuinely know and believe that he is good, then we can begin to understand that being close to him, reading His word (the Bible), talking to Him in prayer and obeying Him are also good, and good for us.

There was an article written hundreds of years ago. If I am not mistaken, it was called the Westminster Confession. As best I can, I will quote what it says. The chief end of man is to worship God and enjoy Him forever. We hear a lot about worship, but not much about the enjoyment. How wonderful it is to be on His side of things and have him on ours.

Before we became believers, we had no opportunity to truly worship Him or enjoy him.

Isaiah 59:2: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Sin separated those Jews from God and sin also separates us from God. When we have our sins forgiven, the barrier is gone. It is also wonderful to know that when we fail and sin and put up the barrier again, God wants it removed again.

I John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

One further comment on our sin as believers. When we sin as children of God, what we lose is our communication (fellowship) with God. Once we become a child of God, we are eternally a child of God, just as we are forever a son or daughter of our parents.

Worship means much more than going to church and singing hymns. I believe it means we are to esteem, to honor, to attach worth or value to God. And tell Him we do, and demonstrate we do by our obedience to Him. When we don*t do the things God wants us to do, it is like telling God, He is not worth it and that we believe he is wrong about what he wants, or He doesn*t know what He is doing and we know better. Kind of like the opposite of worshipping God is to insult Him or ignore Him or value our own ideas and wills more than His.

The last part of Psalm 34:8: . . . blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

He wants us to trust him! And He deserves to be trusted. The word blessed means . . . happy, receiving good from the one doing the blessing. In a sense, it is the opposite of cursed.

Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Wow! All things! Some of the good is in this life, and of course most of it is in the Paradise called Heaven.

Philippians 4:19: But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Deuteronomy 4:40: Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.

That it may go well with thee . . . What an incredible blessing the people of Israel could have for obeying God . . . and that is a principle that applies to us also.

Hebrews 2:6: But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou are mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Hard to understand why God has an interest in puny, undeserving little man. But He does!

Revelation 4:11: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Proverbs 16:4: The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Isaiah 43:7b: . . . for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

I Corinthians 10:31: Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Imagine, God created us for His pleasure and His glory and for Himself. When we fulfill his purpose for us, what wonderful benefits are ours!!

Psalms 16:11: Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Hebrews 11:6: But without faith, it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Care to discuss Enjoying%20God%201 with Ron?

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