The Enjoyment of God
There is an old saying amongst serious believers: ‘Our main purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever’. In his book Desiring God John Piper changes this profoundly: ‘Our main purpose is to glorify God by enjoying him forever’
Let’s think about how we can enjoy God and thus glorify him. Still following the overall ‘Tow Worlds’ theme for this blog we are reminded of the connection and experiences that connect this world to the place of God.
We begin by briefly thinking about what God is like:
Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below. There is no other (Deuteronomy 4:39)––One of. God is the eternal non human reality existing in heaven (spiritual dimension) and on earth (physical dimension)
(King David ) One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his Temple. (Psalm 27:4) God is beautiful!
(Jonathan Edwards) ‘The highest delight in God arises chiefly from his beauty and perfection, not from the blessings he gives. The deepest cause of true love for God is the supreme loveliness of God’s nature. People whose love for God is based on God’s usefulness to them, are beginning at the wrong end. They are regarding God only from the viewpoint of their own self- interest. This is failure to appreciate the infinite splendour of God’s nature––He is the source of all goodness and beauty.’
There is a fundamental thing we must know about God. This truth will enable us to grow closer to him in the tragedies of life as well as when good things come our way. It’s a real waste of time and emotion to go through an unpleasant experience and not see the activity, love and beauty of God in it
The fundamental thing that brings us close to God is stated clearly by C. S. Lewis.
He insisted that ‘Above all else that God is good. Lewis said there are two things we must not do: We must not believe God is in any way evil––In him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:1) And we must not throw out any Bible passage that seems to show evil in Him. Instead we should save these passages until we understand them better’
We are thinking about what God is like. Isaiah had this view of God: I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exulted, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Above him were the seraphs, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two wings they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6: 1-3)
There’s no reality more breathtaking than God. Just because we haven’t seen Isaiah’s vision doesn’t mean we can’t also become overwhelmed and overjoyed as we think about God.
We have a more complete picture of God than Isaiah had: The son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:3)
How can we enjoy God? Learn to feel as well as think as we respond to God’s word, God’s world and God’s son. The apostle Peter understood this: Though you haven’t seen Jesus, you love him; and even though you don’t see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8)
Because of a lot of emotional manipulation in the church many Christians are wary of their feelings. We shouldn’t be afraid of proper emotional responses to God but we should learn to identify improper ones. Scripture directs us to experience many emotions such as: Joy, hope, fear, peace, anger, grief, desire, tender heartedness, brokenness, contrition, gratitude, humility.
We can enjoy God as we enjoy the pleasures he brings to us.
‘A man can find nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This, I see is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment (Ecclesiastes 2: 24) Taste and see that the Lord is good ( Psalm 34:8) Both high and low people feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights (Ps 36:8) You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:11)
We can also enjoy God by thinking about our future with him: Now we are the children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Jesus appears, We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2)
It’s been said that the Christians who do most for the present world are those who think most about the next. It is there: in heaven that are enjoyment of God will be fully experienced without the burden of sin.
We are directed by God to be affected by him in such a way that our lives show it.
This is how we glorify him. Life is serious and spiritual things are serious, yet what God has given us in Jesus is a family relationship with the creator and he has made us to enjoy both the creation and the creator.
(Philippians 4: 4) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
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