God: An Open Treasure Chest In Christ

(Part 1)
If you discover God to be such a source of joy, that even troubles and sorrows cannot wash away your happiness in Him, then you will find Him even more delightful than before. "Not only that, but we rejoice in God" (v.11)

We have not been created for the created. Rather we exist for Him who conquers suffering, explodes the fear of death and tramples the wrath of God away from us. We exist for none other than God. Apart from Him there is no pure joy. There are shadows of His reality, weak rays that come from his majestic sunshine. Yet alone in Him is pure joy for us. It is far better to have God and sickness than healthy and hell-bound.

Everyone knows Ned Flanders. Some of my flat mates think he is a normal Christian, which does little for our image. However the bigger problem that we have is not that people think we are like Ned,  but that we often tend to believe in Ned's god. A power-drunk tyrant bent upon squashing the last iota of joy out of us, that we may share in his misery and boredom. Please, if this god sounds familiar to you than flush him down the toilet, where all excrement belongs. For the real God is vastly different; Father, Son and Spirit have known and enjoyed each other since before time began. Their joy knows no bounds. God is a perfectly exuberant and joyful God and nothing can dampen His pleasure. In His presence is infinite joy and at His right hand pleasures forever more. (Psalm 16: 11)

This is the God that we rejoice in through our Lord Jesus. In Jesus has become an open treasure chest for us. The wealth and treasure of His love He has lavished upon us through His Holy Spirit. Verse 5; "This hope does not disappoint, for the love of God has been poured out in our hearts, through the Holy Spirt who has been given us." Do you see what God has done for our delight? He has poured out His Holy Spirit in our hearts; not in scanty drops but in flooding abundance.  We did nothing to receive this; it is His free gift of love to us. By His Holy Spirit the love of God lives in us.

The theologian Jonathan Edwards described this perfectly when he commented, "God created us to communicate the fullness of His joy to us." Surely this is the thought behind Psalm 37: 4. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart!" Delight yourself in God and you shall want none other than God. Unlike every other thing we make an idol of, God can give us what we so desperately desire; Himself. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give Himself to you.

By the way, this is why sin is so appealing to you. Why Bible reading and prayer so difficult is. Because you don't think that they can do anything for your joy except dampen it. Like thirsty morons we drink the salty water of sin and convince ourselves that it tastes good, certainly far better than the fresh living water of the Holy Spirit.