Sabbath Psalms - Delight in The Lord

Psalm 37:4      Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

There's a scene in the movie "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," when the boy Edmund meets the White Witch for the first time in the land of Narnia. Because it's snowing, he's absolutely freezing, so the witch casts a spell and presents him with a cup of hot chocolate. She then asks him if he would like something to eat. "Could I have some Turkish delight?" he answers. The witch casts another spell and the sweets immediately appear.

I've always been fond of Turkish delights myself. Whenever I go back to Scotland, it's one of the first things that I buy. Fry's, the equivalent of Hershey's in Britain, make the most delicious chocolate covered Turkish delight you can ever imagine. As I'm typing this message, I'm beginning to long for some.

Delight is usually used to describe something that is delicate or luxurious. Even in the Bible, in the 37th Psalm, this is what it means. The old Hebrew word for delight is "a'nag", which means something that is delicate, pliable, and soft. In this context it means to bend to God's will, to conform to His requests, and to humbly accept His commands.

As we go through some critical times, perhaps we can all decide to delight in the Lord and choose to humbly serve Him, rather than give in to fear or despair. If so, then the effects, according to scripture, will be that our petitions and requests, our prayers and desires will be given to us, as we seek to please and delight in the Lord.

Point to ponder: What does God do that makes me delighted in Him?

Prayer: Lord God, reshape our lives and take us into Your hands. Humble our souls and remold our spirits, so that we may delightfully, cheerfully, and faithfully serve You all of our days. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Church devotions: The Royal Law - James 2:8

James 2:8       If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.

       

Yesterday, in the Sunday School class that I teach, we were discussing the parable of the Good Samaritan. It’s probably the best known story that Jesus ever told so, throughout the class, the participants offered their personal ideas and opinions about the parable. It was a good way to share our faith beliefs together, and even though it was a fictional story, Jesus told it in such a way that even thousands of years later the heart of its message is still as relevant today as it was in His lifetime.

I also like how James described the teaching ‘loving your neighbor as yourself.’ He called it ‘the royal law.’ This doesn’t mean that it was only meant for kings and queens, princes or princesses; James meant that this came as a command straight for the heart of Christ our King. In other words, it’s meant to be taken and practiced seriously by those who consider themselves to be disciples, followers, and servants of Jesus.

Throughout this week, we will all have many opportunities to ‘love our neighbors as ourselves.’ The real test will come in whether or not we respond to the needs our neighbors have, or whether we will be too busy, causing us to walk by on the other side and discard the royal law. The great Chinese scholar Confucius once wrote, almost five hundred years before Christ, “To see what is right and not to do it, shows a want of courage.” For the Christian, to see what is right and not to do it, shows a want of faith.

Questions for personal reflection

What hinders me from helping others in need when I see it? How do I justify my inaction?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, truly teach us Your ways so that we may practice our faith in loving and compassionate deeds. Keep us from being fainthearted, and encourage us to witness to You through our acts of kindness and care. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN. If you would like to comment or ask a question about today’s message, please send John an email to traqair@aol.com.

 Today’s image is one of John’s latest stained glass Pentecost designs called ‘Sacred Spirit.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/14024051194_10b3cce1ec_b.jpg