David said there is pleasure that comes from a life that brings pleasure to God.
“You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)
God means for us to have joy in Him. The gladness of God should be reflected in our countenance and conversations. Of all people on earth who ought to be rejoicing, it is those who have been shown the path of life. It isn’t the sinner who is “living it up,” but the believer—at least we should be.
Three things then gladden us—God’s path, for it is true life; God’s presence, for it is full joy; God’s pleasures, for it is eternal favor.
We are further enjoined to:
“Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.” (Ps.100:2)
The gladness of God has practical implications for the believer. Our service for Him should be attended with gladness and not grudging. Entering His presence requires a song—and not a dirge either! In ancient times, it was punishable by death to be a servant attending a monarch with a sad countenance (Nehemiah 1 is an example). How much more should we seek to serve the King of kings with a smile and a song!
“Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.” (Deut.28:47-48)
Will we ever learn that God isn’t just after the outward action—although obedience is a must—He is looking at our heart. The problem here is one of going through the motions without joy! This is serious. God brought discipline on Israel accordingly. You can serve an oppressive enemy without joy—just doing it because you have to. God would teach them that their attitude was no different by allowing them to do that very thing. Had they chosen to serve God with a heart of gladness then they would have enjoyed blessing and not bondage.
Learn this: “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom.14:17). Since God’s eternal kingdom is marked by joy, the church should manifest it today. It was true in the first century and ought to be in the twenty-first.
Paul extolled how the Thessalonians had great joy.
“And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,” (1 Thess.1:6). Consider the pattern in the early church by studying Acts 2:46-47; 5:40-41; 16:22-25.
We have seen that Scripture knows nothing of a grumpy God—moody and morose! He does grieve, but also is glad for He will be glorified in all things. Paul was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10). This is how God’s people are to be. Have you the joy of salvation? Have you lost it like David did (Ps.51:12)? It can be restored. Why would we abandon God and His joy in us to pursue the things of this world that only leave us craving more? That is like trying to satisfy your thirst by drinking salt water from the ocean—the more you take in, the thirstier you become. But, “In [God’s] presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
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