This Sunday at Church I want to encourage you to do the following: Delight in God’s Word at Church.
I was struck how many times the verb “delight” appear in Psalm 119 in talking about God’s Word. Nine times it talks about delighting in God’s Law!
So when we go to church among the many reasons why we go it should be with the desire of going there to delight in God’s Word. Delight in God’s Word being preached by the Pastor in the pulpit. But also delight in God’s Word being read during Scripture reading! Also delight in God’s Word being taught in Sunday School, Bible Study or Small Group on Sunday. Delight in God’s Word as a means of worshiping God!
How do you know you are delighting in God’s Word this Sunday?
You delight in God’s Word when you love God’s Word: “I shall delight in Your commandments, Which I love” (Psalm 119:47). Do you light in God’s Word? How do you tell? You actually love God’s Word. You find it fascinating. You are in awe at the content in Scripture. Though you might struggle to read it and have moments of weakness yet at the end of the day you really long for it. You love it!
You delight in God’s Word when you make it a point to remember it: “I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word”(Psalm 119:16). This one might require a bit more intentional discipline on our part. Go to church and take notes. Have a designated notepad to take notes on Sunday at church. This exercise helps you to remember more of what’s being taught even if you don’t go back and review your notes. But it’s also worthwhile to review your notes to remember it. Write down as much details as possible. Also write down applications that flow from God’s Word. But don’t forget to write down any of your own observation that you happen to delight in God’s Word being taught!
You delight in God’s Word when you make it a point to let it guide you: “Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors.” (Psalm 119:24). Even as you hear God’s Word being taught, find delight that God’s Word is providentially being taught to guide you. What an amazing sovereign God! Delight in God’s Word as good counselors for your life.
You delight in God’s Word when you pray for God’s help to obey God’s Word: “Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it” (Psalm 119:35). Obedience is hard; it can only be by God’s grace we obey. So pray for God’s Word to delight your heart so much you want to obey Him!
You delight in God’s Word when you delight in its teaching about salvation: “I long for Your salvation, O Lord, And Your law is my delight” (Psalm 119:174). Our obedience is not driven by self-righteousness nor the motivation to earn salvation; rather salvation is by God’s grace alone through Christ’s life and works alone, through faith in the Triune God alone! You delight in God’s Word when you delight in God’s work of salvation! You long for it!
You delight in God’s Word when you have been rescued by God’s Word: “If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction” (Psalm 119:92). This verse is powerful. It presents us the counter-factual: What if the Psalmist didn’t delighted in God’s law? That means he would have perished in his affliction. But that wasn’t the case because he did delight in God’s Law. That doesn’t mean troubles and afflictions are gone when you delight in God’s Law. Hear Psalm 119:143= “Trouble and anguish have come upon me, Yet Your commandments are my delight.”
With the last point I want to take a moment with some real talk: The Church is not perfect. Over the years I have found it helpful go to church first and foremost to hear God’s Word. I love my church. I love it despite all its imperfections. I have been with my church in some dark days of its existence. I have also have felt some people can be reasons for me to struggle with loving the church. But I continued with going to church because my primary reason is to hear God’s Word. I want to hear God’s Word at church because I delight in God’s Word.
Today, this Sunday pray for God to work in your heart to delight in His Word. Pray also for the preacher and teacher to preach God’s Word to delight in God and Christ first and foremost. And listen prayerfully and with a sense of anticipation of worshipping and delighting in God!
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I have found taking notes to be very helpful while listening to the sermon. Just the action alone, helps me stay focused on the message and the word. Great post.
Amen! Great word of encouragement! God bless!
Thanks!! How’s your health been this last week?
Doing good, thanks! God is always faithful to lift me up! 🙂 Thanks for your prayers!
Reblogged this on Truth in Palmyra and commented:
Great post for this Sunday morning. I really liked the paragraph on taking notes. I always do. It helps me remember, helps me with material to study and let’s me fact check the preacher too!
Thanks for the good exhortation and encouragements! We sometimes take God’s Word for granted or read/hear it in a perfunctory manner. We are so blessed to be able to attend church and hear God’s Word preached! I pray you for your preaching today, brother!
Thank you for your prayers. I have a long day ahead including going to the airport to pick someone up at 11 PM; your prayers is helpful. Going to be preaching at 2 churches today and next week at 3!
Hope your busy day is a blessing to you and others! Praying for you!
Amen!
D E L I G H T
DELIGHT! What a delight God’s Word is!!
Reblogged this on LIVING BY FAITH.
Thank you pastor Jim. Blessings
You’re welcome! How was it today/Sunday? I only recently learn Australia has more than one time zone; how many hours are you ahead of Greenwhich time if you don’t mind me asking?
Do you mean Greenwhich London UK ?
Sydney, where I live, is 9 hours ahead at the moment. 😊
Reblogged this on I ONCE WAS LOST and commented:
Love this!!!!
We are on the hunt for one 🙏🏻💕
We have 2 special needs boys(as you probably know by now)-while one is “controllable” the other one likes to make noises. This makes it difficult as he is too big for the nursery – there is a church that has a special needs program-the problem is they are a MEGA church and some things they teach are not biblical 😔
If I read it correctly you are looking for a church; if so I just prayed for God to guide you and your family especially with your particular family needs for your boys. Thank you also for your comments and the reblog!
Thank you for your prayer for us!!! 🙏🏻💕
This is what Jesus told the church of Sardis when He told them to REMEMBER. We are to REMEMBER and rehearse the things of God so that we remain strong.
Timely you shared it and I recall your studies through Revelation. Are you currently teaching through it with your church?
No sir. However, I am currently doing a verse by verse teaching on Facebook. I like that format because I can reach people who are outside of my normal circle. It’s like a video blog
This has to be one of the best posts I have ever read! I am a chronic journaler. I take notes at church but on the handout and not in my journal. Today I am going to take my journal and an orange pen to church rather than writing on the handout and putting it in my sermon notes box! I struggle with delighting in God’s Word when our sermons are topical; however, you are convicting me to delight in God’s because it IS God’s Word! I love God’s Word and your post has stirred my heart to delight in God’s Word outside my personal quiet time with the Lord! Blessings Brother!
Yes!!!!
Wow praise the Lord! I am quite encouraged by your comment! Since you moved recently does that mean you will be either looking for a new church or already are going to a new church this morning?
We have been going to a church here in FL. Nathan really responds well to this church which pleases me! It is definitely topical/life application preaching. I confess, I do struggle with that. While they are nondenominational the church has AG roots. What I truly love is that it is racially and ethnically diverse congregation who absolutely love Jesus and are committed to obeying Him!
Reblogged this on a simple man of God and commented:
Taking delight in God’s Word. A Christian will find this attribute growing inside them as time continues. It is one of our main connections to the Father, along with prayer and the Holy Spirit.
Daniel
I pray that God will raise up churches who take His Word seriously and won’t play the harlot with those unlawful pagan “holy” days called Christ Mass and Easter! If the churches want revival then getting rid of all that God hates in her worship of Him is a very much needed start!
A. 2 Chron. 33:15-17 — The Israelites had kept the old pagan form (the high places of Baal), but had merely introduced the worship of God into that form — a refusal to let go of pagan worship forms (i.e., God was to be worshiped in the Temple, not on the high places). This was unacceptable worship because the right object of worship was mixed with wrong forms of worship; i.e., the mixing of godly worship with ungodly form. Likewise, is not the celebration of Christmas the taking of a celebration established by pagans and for pagans, and then introducing the worship of Christ into that pagan form?
B. Deut. 12:29-32 — God warned His people Israel to destroy all vestiges of pagan worship that they found in the “Promised Land.” Not only did God want to prevent His people from being enticed to worship false gods, but He also specifically revealed that He did not want His people to worship Him in the same manner in which the heathen worshiped their gods. We know, therefore, that our Lord is displeased by practices which profess to honor Him, but which are copied from the tradition of false religions. The command here was to worship God only in His way, i.e., do only what God commands — not adding to God’s commands nor taking away from them. Therefore, is not “putting Christ back into Christmas,” worshiping “the Lord your God their way”? Is there any command in the Bible to give special reverence to the Scriptural account of Christ’s birth more so than to any other Scripture, let alone even a suggestion to celebrate or commemorate His birth in any way whatsoever? God never intended for His people to be imitators of the pagan customs of the world, but has called us to be separate and set apart.…
http://jbeard.users.rapidnet.com/bdm/Psychology/xmas/celeb.htm
What’s the use! Churches are determined to offend those brethren who know better than to insult God by lowering His Son, our Beloved Savior Jesus, down to the same level as the pagan gods by celebrating His birth on their day. They would rather let the clean touch the unclean so they don’t have to deal with their wives and children by stopping the ungodly practice of pagan traditions. Lies are cherished rather than worshiping God in spirit and in truth (is this day really God’s birth? Does He really delight in “christianized” paganism?). And this is idolatry in His sight, worshiping the Queen of Heaven, mother and child, just like the pagans do and in the same manner.
I love this, brother, what a great encouragement! Thank you.
Great post!! Proverbs 15:23, “A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!” God Bless, Brother Jim!
Wow praise the Lord Roland, bless to hear that! Have a blessed Lord’s Day!
Excellent. Amen,:)
Thanks have a blessed day in the Lord. I don’t take going to church for granted when I think of how some can’t go for reasons beyond them such as rides, age, health, etc. Praying!
TY Pray works.:)
The church I attend just went through a series called “Engage”. It started in January to engage the congregation into reading the new testament. Some books were split into 2 Sundays, some smaller ones combined. Our pastor was prompted by the HOLY SPIRIT to do this. We finished up last week and the next 3 weeks we’re looking at our mission statement Looking up, Looking in, Looking out. Today “Looking up” focused on worship and prayer. And our lead scripture was Psalm 119:47
Jim, thank you for posting these things so close to my heart. What a delight to see others who delight in God’s Word and how many reblogged this post. It is encouraging to know those who desire to hear and remember what is spoken from His Word. Throughout your post, my mind went back to Psalm 1, the preface that points to the purpose of God’s Word. There is fruit through the meditation of God’s Word and salvation in the preaching of it (Romans 10). And, O, the beauty, the blessedness, and the bounty He brings from His Word through us, especially on this Day. Blessings to you as you continue to bless us.
Sometimes it comes through another preacher who shares the truth in love and it changes you , Blessings
This is a wonderful post! Delighting in God’s Word will bring so much contentment to our lives. ❤️