As
a parent I would like to have a child that delights me. It is a wish of every
parent to delight in their children. I want to share two types of persons who
bring delight to God. God allowed His people to call Him as: “God of Abraham,
God of Isaac, God of Jacob, God of Moses, God of Daniel, etc…
The
first type of person God delights is a person who gives to Him cheerfully.
"God
loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7).
May
be this is why God gives total freedom to all people and especially His
children - both before and after conversion, and after being filled with the Spirit.
If we are like God, we also will not seek to control others or pressurize them.
We will give them freedom to be different from us, to have different views from
ours and to grow spiritually at their own pace. All compulsion of any sort is
from the devil.
The
Holy Spirit fills people, whereas demons possess people. The
difference is this: When the Holy Spirit fills anyone; He still gives
that person freedom to do whatever he wants. But when demons possess people,
they rob them of their freedom and control them. The fruit of being filled with
the Spirit is self-control (Gal. 5:22, 23). Demon-possession,
however, results in the loss of self-control.
We
must remember that any work that we do for God, that is NOT done cheerfully,
joyfully, freely and voluntarily is a dead work. God values a little done
cheerfully for Him far more than a great deal done under compulsion or done
merely to ease one's conscience.
The
second type of person God delights is a person who is honest with others.
"If
we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another..." (1
Jn.1:7).
What
does it mean to walk in the light? Nobody can hide anything in the light. This
is so true with God. Light means honesty with God. We tell Him everything,
exactly as it is. We can be sure God detests those who are insincere. This is
the reason Jesus spoke against hypocrites more than He spoke against anyone
else.
Holiness
starts with being honest with oneself and from this spring flows everything
else. One has to be careful not to call sinful thought by "decent" name.
For example "I was only admiring the beauty of God's creation" when
actually one lusted adulterously with one’s eyes. We can never have victory
over sin if we are dishonest.
We
have to be very honest with God. Let’s never call "sin",
"a mistake", because Jesus' blood can cleanse all sins, but
not from mistakes!! He does not cleanse dishonest people. There
is hope only for honest people. "He who covers his sin will never
prosper…" (Prov. 28:13).
Why
did Jesus say that there was more hope for prostitutes and for thieves to enter
God's kingdom than for religious leaders (Matt. 21:31)? It is because
prostitutes and thieves make no pretense of being holy. Today many people turn
away from answering the call of Christ because some church members give an
impression that they themselves have no struggles.
God
delights in you. Will you delight God?
