When God Delights in Us - Psalms 18-19 and Acts 20:17-38
David gave God the credit for being his strength and his deliverer. He recognized that God heard his prayers when he called out to him. David saw that there was a connection between his righteousness and the blessings of God. It was not that he was doing good works, so that God would bless him. It was because God delighted in David, since David did strive to please God and live blamelessly. There is a subtle but important difference here. God sees every heart. He knows our motives. He knows who is just trying to manipulate Him and who really obeys from a heart of love for Him. God chooses to bless those who live for Him and keep His Word out of genuine love for Him. That is what David had come to know, and God wants to delight in each of us. We don't obey God to receive blessings and deliverance. We do not obey the commands of God to receive rewards. We want to be like our Lord, so we follow Him and His commands out of love for Him and what He has done for us.
Paul went to Ephesus for the last time, because he loved them in a special way. He had spent three years there at one point. He went to warn them of the dangers to come, but he went to commend them to God. He knew that nothing could protect them, but God could deliver them, if they stayed close to Him. That was the only way. They could not depend on him or any other human, but they could depend on God. Therefore, Paul exhorted them to fix their hearts on the Lord, so that God would delight in them and deliver them out of the hands of all of the enemies Satan would send against the church. We would all do well to heed this advice. Satan is destroying churches today, right and left. Our only strength and deliverance comes from the Lord, and He gives special rewards and deliverance to those in whom He delights.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 20-22 and Acts 21:1-17.
Paul went to Ephesus for the last time, because he loved them in a special way. He had spent three years there at one point. He went to warn them of the dangers to come, but he went to commend them to God. He knew that nothing could protect them, but God could deliver them, if they stayed close to Him. That was the only way. They could not depend on him or any other human, but they could depend on God. Therefore, Paul exhorted them to fix their hearts on the Lord, so that God would delight in them and deliver them out of the hands of all of the enemies Satan would send against the church. We would all do well to heed this advice. Satan is destroying churches today, right and left. Our only strength and deliverance comes from the Lord, and He gives special rewards and deliverance to those in whom He delights.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 20-22 and Acts 21:1-17.