Enjoying God: Transforming your Drudgery into Delight.
It's 6:00 in the morning and your alarm clock goes off. You've had a late night and a busy day ahead. The thought hits you: "I really should get up and have my devotions. After all, doing devotions is what all serious Christians do." After rolling out of bed (and only after an intense internal battle!), you remember all the things you need to do before leaving for the day. Before you know it, your attention has been robbed by the thief of worry, and your Bible is left unopened and your heart untouched by God's truth.
Or, if you are fortunate enough to actually "do devotions," you will force yourself to focus for a few minutes and struggle through the requisite chapter for the day. Either way, seeking God is nothing more than a tedious task devoid of joy.
For many people, myself included, truly enjoying time with God can be quite a struggle. We all know that our personal walk is important, yet we never really get to the point of enjoying God.
In this post, I'd like to share some principles that I've learned that may help you to desire spending time with God. I trust this will be a help and encouragement to you.
1. Understand that God intends for you to enjoy Him.
Too often, we view our devotional time as a duty that we are expected to do because that's what good Christians do. It is a drudgery and a distraction from the really important things we need to be doing like going to work or studying for tests.
With this mindset, it's no wonder that many of us don't plan, much less, look forward to our devotional time.
Scripture speaks repeatedly of joy and pleasure found in seeking God. Psalm 16:11 says it beautifully: "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Quite simply, being in God's presence is a joy. You should spend time in prayer and Bible reading because of the intense joy and lasting satisfaction that it brings you.If we are properly seeking God, such joy will be our regular reward.
2. Commit yourself to seeking God every day.
If pleasure's address is God's presence, then to find joy we must seek God. I've found that I accomplish nothing without first committing myself to it. Listen to the commitment of David in Psalm 63:1: "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." We do not seek God by default; we seek God by decision. You need to say in your heart, "I will seek God. I want to be in His presence." Commitment is more than simply wanting something; it is pledging to engage in some course of action. Commitment says, "I so deeply want to know God that I will do whatever it takes to do so." If you are going to break free of drudgery in your devotions and inconsistency in seeking God, it all starts with commitment.
3. Recognize that only God can satisfy.
Such a commitment flows from understanding the great value of seeking God. David continues in Psalm 63:1 by saying, "my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is." Like water to a parched tongue, so is the presence of God to the Christian. Nothing is so necessary, yet so refreshing, as a cool drink of water on a scorching day. All the things this world offers us for fulfillment--entertainment, excitement, possessions--leave us thirsty in a desolate wasteland. Don't settle for the broken cisterns of sin that will never satisfy. Let your longing for fulfillment drive you to the presence of God, the unceasing Fountain of living water (Jeremiah 2:13).
I believe that we often can't enjoy our time with God because we are so busy chasing down other pleasures that we do not see true Pleasure. We content ourselves with the polluted sewage water of worldly pleasures and do not even consider that we can continually content ourselves with the Water of Life. When we all find our fulfillment in TV shows, money, cars, or even people, there is little wonder that we do not consider the exceeding abundant joy to be found God's presence. Understand that only God can truly satisfy you, and let this fuel a desire to seek Him.
As you begin to consider that God desires for you to enjoy Him, committing yourself to seek satisfaction in God alone is a logical decision. As you begin on this journey, you will find that knowing God truly is the greatest joy that you can experience. As you "taste and see that the Lord is good," you will desire to return to His banquet hall every day.
In the next post, I'll share some practical suggestions that have helped me maximize my quiet times.
Or, if you are fortunate enough to actually "do devotions," you will force yourself to focus for a few minutes and struggle through the requisite chapter for the day. Either way, seeking God is nothing more than a tedious task devoid of joy.
For many people, myself included, truly enjoying time with God can be quite a struggle. We all know that our personal walk is important, yet we never really get to the point of enjoying God.
In this post, I'd like to share some principles that I've learned that may help you to desire spending time with God. I trust this will be a help and encouragement to you.
1. Understand that God intends for you to enjoy Him.
Too often, we view our devotional time as a duty that we are expected to do because that's what good Christians do. It is a drudgery and a distraction from the really important things we need to be doing like going to work or studying for tests.
With this mindset, it's no wonder that many of us don't plan, much less, look forward to our devotional time.
Scripture speaks repeatedly of joy and pleasure found in seeking God. Psalm 16:11 says it beautifully: "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Quite simply, being in God's presence is a joy. You should spend time in prayer and Bible reading because of the intense joy and lasting satisfaction that it brings you.If we are properly seeking God, such joy will be our regular reward.
2. Commit yourself to seeking God every day.
If pleasure's address is God's presence, then to find joy we must seek God. I've found that I accomplish nothing without first committing myself to it. Listen to the commitment of David in Psalm 63:1: "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." We do not seek God by default; we seek God by decision. You need to say in your heart, "I will seek God. I want to be in His presence." Commitment is more than simply wanting something; it is pledging to engage in some course of action. Commitment says, "I so deeply want to know God that I will do whatever it takes to do so." If you are going to break free of drudgery in your devotions and inconsistency in seeking God, it all starts with commitment.
3. Recognize that only God can satisfy.
Such a commitment flows from understanding the great value of seeking God. David continues in Psalm 63:1 by saying, "my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is." Like water to a parched tongue, so is the presence of God to the Christian. Nothing is so necessary, yet so refreshing, as a cool drink of water on a scorching day. All the things this world offers us for fulfillment--entertainment, excitement, possessions--leave us thirsty in a desolate wasteland. Don't settle for the broken cisterns of sin that will never satisfy. Let your longing for fulfillment drive you to the presence of God, the unceasing Fountain of living water (Jeremiah 2:13).
I believe that we often can't enjoy our time with God because we are so busy chasing down other pleasures that we do not see true Pleasure. We content ourselves with the polluted sewage water of worldly pleasures and do not even consider that we can continually content ourselves with the Water of Life. When we all find our fulfillment in TV shows, money, cars, or even people, there is little wonder that we do not consider the exceeding abundant joy to be found God's presence. Understand that only God can truly satisfy you, and let this fuel a desire to seek Him.
As you begin to consider that God desires for you to enjoy Him, committing yourself to seek satisfaction in God alone is a logical decision. As you begin on this journey, you will find that knowing God truly is the greatest joy that you can experience. As you "taste and see that the Lord is good," you will desire to return to His banquet hall every day.
In the next post, I'll share some practical suggestions that have helped me maximize my quiet times.
Thanks Sam! A much needed and often unrealized principle. Time with God is not meant to be a duty, but an intense pleasure
ReplyDeleteDid I catch all my typos this time? :)
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated this Sam, thanks
ReplyDeleteTerrance
Thanks, Sam. This was a real encouragement to me!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouraging words. I used to say I did not have time for devotions but I soon learned that I did spending time with God is more important to me than lying around or watching TV. My God and I time is the first thing I do and the last thing I do before I go to sleep I love my God and the time I spend with him in his word every day it is my favorite part of the day to spend time with my God. thanks again for the encouraging words kiwi (sam).
ReplyDeleteyour friend -D