Enjoying Life

If you do not serve the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you . . . (Deut. 28:47-48a).

One great revelation in this verse is that having an abundance of benefits doesn’t automatically bring joy! Well . . . maybe for a short while, when one receives a new blessing. But then taking for granted sets in. “It’s not quite what I wanted” and “It’s not as good as my neighbor’s” takes over. And so we can be loaded with benefits but feel as if we have very little.

I guess the principle is: APPRECIATE IT OR LOSE IT. Without appreciation, we will lose it, even if we still have it. We will not experience the joy of it. Not only that, we will begin to be enslaved by the enemy of disappointment and discontentment.

Upon looking at the consequence in verse 48 for taking God’s benefits for granted, one might think he is severe. But God, unlike us, never overreacts. By warning us that there will be consequences for taking our blessings for granted, God corrals our attitudes in the direction of appreciation and joy. We would do well as parents to imitate him by teaching our children to be thankful for and to be responsible in the care of the gifts we give them; by teaching them to respect us as providers of their livelihood. There would be fewer of us throwing up our hands in despair because our children are demanding, never contented, and largely uncooperative.

Joy and enthusiasm are a choice. Actually, joy is automatic—but only if one first chooses to be appreciative. An appreciative person will make a point of thanking God (and others involved) for favors and blessings. An appreciative person recognizes that he is fortunate to have received them. An appreciative person will counteract feelings of discontent by reminding herself of all that is good in her life. Appreciation requires a little effort at the offset, but ends up in sheer delight—and in great willingness to do anything for the Giver.

Staying Connected

Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs. .. . .

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

(Psa. 100:2, 4)

Daily, a Christian can become bogged down in the daily grind, and need to get back into the place (spiritually) in which he see things the Lord's way and can operate in the Lord's patience, wisdom, cheerfulness, power, and love. At such times, one can "enter his gates" by purposely beginning to thank him for his goodness and his blessings. One can walk all the way into "his courts" by praising him. That might be praise directed to him personally or it can be by making a comment to someone else about the goodness of God. One creative way to do this was practiced by my pastor, Tony Shuff, in his early days as a Christian. As his co-workers took a break to have a smoke, he took a break to get away and praise the Lord. ☺

As thankfulness and praise are directed deliberately toward God, the heart breaks free from the crust of care and intense effort. One can again see the Lord, step freely into his presence, and begin again to function in his grace.

How to Approach Him

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs. . . .
Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.
(Psa. 100:2, 4)

Psalm 100 in its entirety seems designed to be used as a Call to Worship—something to recite out of a hymnal or prayer book in church. That’s all I would have thought about it in bygone years. But it has taken on life-changing meaning since it has was pointed out to me that this is the way to come into the Lord’s presence at all times.

Picture, if you will, a subject of King David's who desired an audience with him. This person would not consider coming into the king's palace and before his throne empty-handed. He would bring a gift to honor the king, to show his appreciation for the king's attention, and, hopefully, to garner his favor. This was mirrored by worshippers coming before the Lord in the tabernacle or temple--they brought sacrifices and offerings. On feast days, throngs of worshippers ascended the hill to Jerusalem singing psalms. Psalm 107 states that such thanksgiving was also an offering or sacrifice to the Lord.

Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,

And declare His works with rejoicing (Psa. 107:22 NKJV)

Do we rush into the Lord's presence and begin asking him for things? Thanking and praising him first will give him the honor that we owe him. It will also lift our eyes to see him--not only as our Father and our Friend, but as the King of all the earth, who is mighty to save.

Simple and Pleasant

Psalm 67
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us, Selah
2 that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples justly
and guide the nations of the earth. Selah
5 May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.
6 Then the land will yield its harvest,
and God, our God, will bless us.
7 God will bless us,
and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Psalm 67 is full of surprising connections, when one notices that it is full of cause-effect statements.

Cause (1)
Verse 1
When God
· Is gracious to us
· Blesses us
· Makes his face shine on us
Effect (1)
Verse 2
The whole world becomes aware of
· His [kind, generous] ways and
· [The fact that] he saves

Cause (2)
Verses 3-5
When people
· Praise God (4x)
· Are glad
· Sing for joy
(because of God’s
· Just rulership
· Guidance)
Effect (2)
Verses 6-7
Then
· The land will yield a good harvest
· God will bless us (2x)
· He will be feared [reverenced] around the world

The whole message fits together especially well if one considers verses 3-7 first, then verses 1-2. When read that way, the message of Psalm 67 can be summarized as:

Expressing thankfulness to God →
Multiplied blessings →
Widespread awareness of his goodness

This is one example of how pleasant and simple our relationship with God can be. I respond in love and thankfulness. He takes even better care of me. The world around me begins to respond to him and come into the place in which they can be fully cared for by him also. How much more natural and effective this is than trying to obtain God's blessings for myself by much petitioning, and trying to point others to the Lord by "preaching."