Reflections for October 14, 2011

Here is what our brother in Christ Matthew Henry (1662-1714) had to say about us delighting ourselves in the Lord, “If we make conscience of obedience to God, we may then take the comfort of complacency in him. And even this pleasant duty of delighting in God has a promise annexed to it, which is very full and precious, enough to recompense the hardest services: He shall give thee the desires of thy heart. He has not promised to gratify all the appetites of the body and the humors of the fancy, but to grant all the desires of the heart, all the cravings of the renewed sanctified soul. What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and live to God, to please him and to be pleased in him.”

The hearts of Christ true followers must cling to Him and His Word and never let anything separate us from our close fellowship with Him and the truth of His Word. We must remember that everything written to us about the things that happened to the children of Israel were written for our admonition or warning. Our Heavenly Father expects us to be grateful and thankful to Him because He has reconciled us back to Himself and allowed us to learn His truth so that we might not enter into some of the same destructive paths as the children of Israel.

Perhaps the ugliest thing found in our hearts by our Heavenly Father is ingratitude. We should be willing and able to say as Job said to his wife, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” This should be the continual cry of every redeemed soul. Every redeemed soul experiences hatred down here since Christ has taken us out of this world. The world hated Christ as He walked down here among men. Are we better or greater than He is? He thanked the Father for everything, even the cross. Should we not be compelled to do likewise, if we love Him?