Tenth Avenue North – “Fire” (Devotional)
Psalm 37:4
Christ knows we are made for enjoyment. We are made by Him and for Him, and nothing except Him will ever do. Until we have Him, we will be wild with desire for the taste of Him. In fact, Blaise Pascal argued this search for divine happiness is what fuels every decision we make. “This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.” Whether it’s doing what we know we should, or doing what we know we will soon regret, we make decisions every day based on what we think will make us happiest. ItΓÇÖs no wonder we’re commanded to delight in God.
What we believe will make us happy is a matter of life and death. If we don’t find our joy in God, we will turn to whatever will make us feel, even if those things end up killing us. So, the command to delight in Him, is perhaps the one imperative all temptation seeks to usurp. But how do we resist when we’re hungry for a God-sized satisfaction? How do we wait for the joy found in God, when we’re incessantly bombarded by the easy bite of the apple? How can we believe Jesus isn’t trying to ruin our good time, when all our good times are built on the very things killing us?
Remember, John 10:10? ItΓÇÖs crazy how the tables have turned. Jesus, many believe, is against our pleasure. He is always ruining our good time, while the thief is offering life to the full. Do you see it?
The problem is, Jesus isn’t against our pleasure, He wants us to learn to wait for the best pleasure.
Meanwhile, the Thief is perpetually offering instant pleasure. (Or as Ephesians 4:22 calls them, “deceitful desires.”) Sadly too, we’ve all traded in the better for the quicker, haven’t we? If we’re honest, we have found Jesus’ words to be true. Though the thief offers life, in the end, his roads lead to death.
So, let us pray for an overwhelming sense of God’s sweetness today. May our souls be dazzled and wooed by his great grace and beauty. May his commands not feel burdensome, but rather, may we know they are the precious paths to life.