The River of Delights
Scripture Reading — Psalm 36:5-9
They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
Psalm 36:8
Studies have shown that children laugh more than 400 times a day! But by the time they reach adulthood, their laughs decrease to a mere 15 chuckles daily.
What happens in those in-between years? As they grow up, people begin taking themselves and their lives seriously—maybe a bit too seriously—and many become complainers. Sadly 75 percent of all adult communication is negative rather than positive.
An important quality of the fruit of the Spirit, however, is “joy” (see Galatians 5:22). God wants to cultivate in us a deep sense of joy that arises out of our relationship with him. God wants us to drink deeply from his “river of delights”!
Have you ever wondered why God made us with taste buds? He made us with the capacity to enjoy food because he is a God of pleasure. The main purpose of taste buds is to give us a sense of pleasure in eating. God wants us to experience delight even in the necessary act of providing our bodies with nourishment. God wants us to discover joy even in the simple routines of our day.
The world is lost in darkness, but we, as God’s children, can shine through the darkness with our joy. Jesus, through the cross and his resurrection, has defeated both sin and death. That’s good news intended to fill us with delight!
Lord, nurture in me your fruit of joy. Let the water that flows in your river of delights well up in me and bring lasting joy that touches the lives of others. In your name, Amen.
About the author — Shawn Brix
Rev. Shawn Brix has served as pastor in several Ontario churches. He and his wife, Jenny, have three children.
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