Enjoying God
ENJOYING GOD
Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
- Nehemiah 8:10
The military school I went to in the late 60s had these words inscribed on the back wall of the chapel, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” I had no idea of the origin of the statement at the time nor was I much interested in religious principles but I always kind of liked the concept of “enjoying God”. It sounded fun and relaxed and was much different from the more common concept of Christianity I had learned about in my youth. I thought being a good Christian meant a life of obeying a bunch of commandments and rules and refraining from doing anything fun. As a teenager and young adult, I knew if God watched everything I did and knew everything I thought, He had to be disappointed. After I surrendered my life to Christ in 1983 and began to understand what God is really like, I have since thought often and fondly of those penetrating words. The truth is that God loves us and enjoys us, and He really wants us to enjoy Him and enjoy each other.
A good question is, “How could God love us and enjoy us so much when we are really not very lovable and enjoyable, have pretty sorry attitudes most of the time, are usually very self-centered, and our actions and thoughts are anything but righteous?” The answer is summed up in two words we have all heard preached about many times: mercy and grace. Let’s look at them again, maybe from a little different perspective. Mercy is the truth that God, through Jesus’ death, chose to forgive ALL our sins, past and future, and to remember them no more. He made the decision, before He created mankind, that when man chose to turn from Him and go our own way and live selfish, rebellious lives, He would Himself come to earth and pay the price for that rebellion, death on a cross, so that ALL could see and know His everlasting love for us. Grace is the truth that God looks at us with unmerited favor and loves us and accepts us just like we are. He makes no requirements that we change this or do that to earn His friendship. The perfect picture of mercy and grace is painted in the parable Jesus told about the prodigal son in Luke 15, starting at verse 11.
“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. (Luke 15: 11-24)
The son did everything bad he could possibly do, and he was as worthless as a man could be. He took his father’s money, thumbed his nose at his responsibilities as a son, left his family, and decided to live a life of sin and debauchery. When he found himself broke, disgraced, and humiliated, living as a slave in a foreign land, he decided to return home to his father. Returning home was the son’s only right decision. When his father saw him walking down the road toward home, the father ran to him and, with joy, offered him the robe of a prince and a ring of royalty. A beautiful picture of God’s salvation. The most valuable and precious gift ever offered in the history of mankind. And it’s free. All the son had to do was take the gift for himself. Can you imagine the son NOT reaching out his hand and receiving this gift from his father? Can you imagine someone like me or you not accepting the free gift of salvation today? And then the father ordered the servants to throw a huge banquet. But why? Yes, the son had returned home but he was still just as worthless and dirty and sinful as he was a week before. He simply had hit rock bottom and was looking for something better than pig slop to eat. But this wonderful father, full of mercy and grace, extended unconditional forgiveness and acceptance to this undeserving son. Mercy and grace enabled the father to forgive, accept, and enjoy his son.
Think about the son, sitting at this great banquet that night, watching his father laugh and rejoice at having his boy home with him. The son had to be thinking, “How can he love me this much? How can he be such a wonderful father? Knowing what I have done, how can he be so forgiving and how could he be having so much dang fun? How could I have missed seeing him like this before? Could I ever be like him? Could I ever treat other people like he has treated me? How could I have left such a wonderful father and have broken his heart like I did?”
Let’s look at a different story from the Old Testament in Exodus 32 and 33. Moses has been on Mount Sinai receiving the ten commandments from God. He has been gone 40 days and the people get restless and decide to make and worship a golden calf. God says these people have committed a great sin and deserve to be wiped out, but Moses pleads with God for forgiveness. Moses says to God, “Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…” and how You said, “I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.” (See Exodus 32:13) So God relents and forgives on account of His friend Moses’ request. Then Moses and God are having a conversation about what is going to happen next. God says, Ok Moses, I promised your forefathers that I would give you a land flowing with milk and honey, and I will not back out of that promise. I will send an angel before you to lead you and drive out the enemies before you and give you this land, but I have decided I am not going with you. You can have all the “stuff” I have promised but you are going to have to enjoy it without Me. My Presence will not go with you. Now the prodigal son would have thought that was a great deal. He wanted his share of all his father’s stuff and wanted to go on his own, live his life his own way, and really have fun, away from his father. But not Moses. Moses said, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?” (Exodus 33: 15-16) In other words, I don’t want Your stuff it I can’t enjoy it with You. My joy is Your Presence. As Psalms 16:11 says, “You will make known to me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (Psalms 16:11)
The sad truth is, unlike Moses, we have all taken the path of the prodigal son. The good news is that ourforgiving, loving Father is standing in the road waiting for us to come home and receive the free gift of eternal life with Him. When Jesus gathered with the disciples for the last supper, He knew this was his last chance to tell his family and best friends what He most wanted them to remember. So, He washed their feet and told them He was about to give His life for them and then said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34). “These things I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11). “Whatever you ask the Father in My name,He will give you… that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23-24). “But now I come to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” (John 17:13). Jesus, by giving his life, by choosing to show us the ultimate grace and mercy, was about to make the story of the prodigal son come true for you and me and for all mankind who make the decision to turn toward home and accept the robe and ring purchased by Jesus’ death.
That is why God can look at you and me and say, “You are my beloved son/daughter, in whom I am well pleased. I love you and enjoy you and I want us to laugh and enjoy life together forever. And, by the way, you can be like me and if you show mercy and grace to other people like I have shown to you, you will be surprised how you too can get to know and love and enjoy the sorry, selfish sinners (like you) you hang around with every day.”
God’s plan for our lives is exciting, it’s extraordinary, and it’s miraculous because nothing is too difficult for God, He loves us and wants the best for us, and He is always with us. The more we see and understand how really good He is and how much He really loves and enjoys us, we begin to think like the prodigal son and are able to imagine with excitement what the future holds.
Ps 16:11 In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Ps 21:6 You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with your presence.
Eccl 2:26 For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight.
Is 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.
John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full.
Acts 2:28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.
1 Pet 1:8 Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith- the salvation of your souls.