Dearly beloved in Christ,
I greet you in the sweet name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Man wants to live a life according to his own desires. The desires of the heart are evil. They are born in bitterness with dangerous intent. The Bible says, “The preparations of the heart belong to man. . . .” (Prov. 16:1). It is the seat of thoughts and needs to be delightful. Hence Apostle Peter counsels: “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13). Paul in 1 Cor. 7:36 says, “. . . . let him do what he wishes. . . .” At the same time he warns: “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” (Romans 7:23). Our mind should be delightful in the Lord. Otherwise, as we do according to our desires, there may crop up problems and struggles. Only when there is delight in the Lord, we can have blessings of the Lord.
“Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household” Acts 16:34
At Philippi, Paul and Silas on a Sabbath day went to the riverside to pray as it was their custom and preached to the ladies who met there. Once as they were going, a slave girl who had the spirit of divination and brought good gain for her masters, cried out, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” Being annoyed at it as she kept doing that for days, Paul commanded the evil spirit to come out of her. That spirit left her immediately. This offended her masters as they would lose the earnings from her divination. They dragged them to the market place and to the authorities charging them that they were teaching things alien to the Roman customs. The authorities gave them several beatings and put them into prison with strict orders to guard them.
So they were put under surveillance in prison with their feet fastened in the stocks. That night Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. The other prisoners heard them. Suddenly there was an earthquake.
Dear Brother/ Sister, even Paul and Silas who did ministry with the guidance of the Lord had to undergo trials and tribulations. They praised and sang hymns in the midst of them. This is the model for us. They did not lose heart, but praised the Lord in a difficult situation. The power of the Lord that does not change descended upon the place. The foundation was shaken. It created fear in the midst of all.
Today as we come through hard situations, let us not lose heart but continue to praise the goodness of the Lord. Then the Lord who never forsakes us will guide us. By the power of the Lord the gates flung open. All those who heard the hymns of praise were released from bondage. The jailor who was asleep woke up and found the doors open and thought that the prisoners had escaped. He was about to commit suicide. Then Paul spoke to him not to harm himself, but assured him that everyone was there. The jailor asked his attendants to bring a lamp and fell before Paul and Silas. He brought them out and enquired them about what he should do to be saved. Then he told him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They preached to all those who were in the house. They took them that night and cleansed there wounds and all of them believed and were baptised.
Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and submit them for baptism will receive real joy in their hearts.
In my life the day I believed the Lord Jesus Christ as all - powerful and enjoyed the fact that He bore our sickness and that we are healed by His stripes, I praised the Lord much and thanked Him. That day I had the assurance that all my sins were forgiven through a vision I had in my mind’s eye and I gained the joy of salvation.
As a sign of the joy of salvation, I obeyed the word of God and got the anointing of the Holy Spirit which is the seal for salvation. The joy that filled me that day helped me not to look at the problems – at me, at my weakness and around me – but to focus on Christ. This joy of the heart has the power to lead me to live with peace according to the verses of the Bible.
“On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.” 1 Kings 8:66
The Lord Jesus Christ went about doing good. Even today the Lord of love does good things for us. Through the good things we receive from the Lord, we have joy. Many a time we feel sad that there is no one to care for us and that there is no way to have joy. But the Lord has so much of good things to offer us to make us. Here are a few of His ways to make us delighted.
“Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.” (Psalm 31:19,20). When you trust in the Lord, He protects you from witchcraft. Because David enjoyed this protection, he talks about it. A strife of tongues may sometimes refer to just certain quarrels. But David talks more about it: “Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows — bitter words, that they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.” (Psalm 64:3,4). This is what they do in witchcraft and sorcery. How it is done is vividly described in Psalm 10:7 & 8: “His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is trouble and iniquity. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the secret places he murders the innocent; his eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.” We are protected from the clutches of these people who work in secret places using evil spirits.
The earth has altogether become an evil place to dwell in. It abounds with people with evil intent and wicked thoughts who lay traps for others out of jealousy, competition, and bickering. They work behind the scenes to destroy others. God has promised us, “no weapon formed against you shall prosper. . . .” Psalm 37:32 & 33 further make it clear: “The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.”
Therefore, the Lord protects us from such wicked people who indulge in witchcraft to make us live a delighted life. He hides us in His place and exalts us. Thereby, He helps us lead a delighted life.
“...streaming to the goodness of the LORD — for wheat and new wine and oil, for the young of the flock and the herd; their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all.” Jeremiah 31:12
The Lord gives us both material and spiritual blessings. The Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ transforms us, comforts us and crowns us with joy through His words. Those who come to Him receive blessings and miracles through His words which is referred to as ‘wheat’. Psalm 107:20 says: “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” The reference to wine and oil indicate spiritual blessings.
Dear Brother/ Sister, the Lord who fills us with His word also anoints us to teach us and leads us. We receive through these blessings the gifts of the Spirit. ‘The flock and the herd’ refer to blessings of this world, its wealth and riches. To make us live a secure life with no fear and anxiety, He thus blesses us and makes us delight in Him.
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38
Jesus Christ delivers those who are afflicted by the evil spirits and heals them and, as a result, sorrows, afflictions and emptiness in life are all done away with. They are filled with joy. They delight in the Lord Jesus Christ. All those who accept Him as their Shepherd and Lord and go after Him are followed by goodness and mercy all the days of their lives. They are thus delighted.
“…and Your law is my delight.” Psalm 119:174
The Bible is the word of the Lord that pertains to life. It is the living word. Those who love this holy Bible would have peace in them. Those who meditate on it are successful as the Lord God prospers everything they do. When you search the scriptures, you become a better person. It is said of the people of Berea: “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11). The words of the Bible offer practical teaching for our daily living and shed light on our path. The Bible teaches us how we should conduct ourselves in this world and how to please God.
Today as you search the scriptures, you would be delighted. How much do we desire the word of God which promotes joy in us? We are blessed by His miracles according to that.
“But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Psalm 37:11
The meek shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. They are blessed through peace. To inherit the earth, we need meekness. It is one of the fruit of the Spirit. It enables us to live a fruitful life and to be blessed in this life. This makes us delightful. The peace that prevails in us, in our children, and in our work place engenders joy.
Once a person had given his mother’s house for rent. The tenant of the house citing that he had dwelt in that house for long and had paid lakhs of rupees claimed that it belonged to him. He filed a case in a court of law. This brother was involved in the Lord’s ministry. He did not know what to do. He waited with meekness and prayers to claim the inheritance of the house. The tenant who did not know anything about Christ was terribly shaken by the afflictions of his daughter. He was advised by one of his friends to take his daughter to a pastor for prayer. He went and when he prayed the disease left her and she became alright. It was a miracle. So he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in his life. Then he felt in his heart that he did a wrong thing in desiring that house and filing the case. He immediately withdrew the case. He made a request to him to sell the house to him at a concession, in case he wanted to sell it. He also sold it and had peace. He shared his witness with delight.
Just think of it. Dear Brother/ Sister, this meekness brings about delight in the presence of the Lord.
“Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit.” Isaiah 65:14
When one does the ministry of the Lord, the Lord exalts him. As a result of the ministry there is joy in the heart. If you watch the life of Paul, even though he was weak and discouraged, he could travel in tough situations to different countries in different climatic conditions. He could run his race with delight. Dear Brother, the Lord will crown you with joy in your heart as you have come forward to commit your life to live for the Lord. The Lord’s ministry is above all other endeavours on earth. It is good and useful. Therefore, the Lord leads to do the ministry with joy by providing you with all the necessary goodness in your boundary filling it with peace, joy and fullness. As you do the ministry for God, there is abundance of joy in your heart.
“A merry heart does good, like medicine…” Proverbs 17:22
Medicine gives relief from physical pain and weaknesses. It is good for health. Many people have diseases that were developed from worries. Worries and depression affect the heart which the source of all pleasures. When the heart and mind are affected, it is difficult to treat any disease that appears eventually. Dear Brother/ Sister, delight yourself in the Lord. That is the right medicine for your ills.
Once, one sister went to a dentist for treatment. The dentist told her that the tooth could not be removed as she had high Blood Pressure. So he sent her to another doctor for treatment of BP. That doctor was very jovial and had a chat with her for some time. Then he tested her BP. It became normal. So she was sent back to the dentist to extract the tooth. No treatment was given for BP. When there was happiness at heart, everything became normal and her tooth could be extracted. Yes, a merry heart is good for the physique. When you are happy at heart, there is health in body, spirit and soul.
“Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
The Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ searches the hearts of people and knows them individually their desires and weaknesses. He carries out the very wishes of His children. He works miracles in the lives of those who believe in Him. In Matthews 15:28 we read about a Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus Christ for the deliverance of her daughter from demon possession. Seeing her faith Jesus said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
Dear Brother/ Sister, you may have a dreadful disease or weakness. You may have doubts as to how you are going to survive. You may be threatened to undergo a surgery. Hence you may be filled with fear and sorrows. But if you commit to delight yourself in the Lord, who is good, loving and powerful, your faith will become the basis for your happiness.
Hence delighting is a good medicine which has the power to heal and to restore health and also can fulfil the desires of the heart.
“Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 58:14
Delighting in the Lord would make it visible on the face and establish a person on a high pedestal. As Jacob was blessed and transformed into Israel to glorify the Lord at His own will and pleasure, we will also be a tool in the hand of the Lord. Dear Brother/ Sister, when you begin to delight in the Lord, you will be filled with blessings and you will be protected and provided for in the Lord. You will be a blessing.
Therefore, let us delight in the Lord and be free from sufferings and worries. We would have the blessings of the Lord.
May the Lord bless us!
In the service of Christ Jesus,
Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.