God is Thrilled !

What do you find thrilling?  How about a high speed ride on a roller coaster? An awesome sunset? A nice raise?  You fill in the blank !!   Yesterday we took our kid’s dog, Maggie, to the lake with us and she was absolutely thrilled on a hot summer day to dive into some cool water chasing after a stick with her Grandpop !

Next week we’re hoping to have one of our church’s biggest baptisms.  I’ve been working hard this summer to get all these folks ready for that special ordinance of the church where they publicly proclaim their faith in Christ and then follow up with church membership. It’s a little nervy for them, it’s exciting for our church and thrilling to the Lord !! How do I know that?  Well for one He is the One Who commands us to do it (Matt.28:19) but there is a very small book in the back of your Bible known as Third John. It’s what you might call a “postcard of the New Testament”.  You can read the book in the “blink of an eye”, so to speak.

In verses three and four it says, “For I rejoiced greatly (exceedingly beyond measure) when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” !!    Now obviously, the Apostle John wrote these words but remember Who inspired him to do so. So in effect, God is speaking through his pen and that means whenever YOU do what God asks, He is thrilled too ! He has no GREATER joy !!!!    If your a parent, doesn’t it thrill your heart when your child does something right?  How about when they choose whats correct over what may be convenient?  God is the PERFECT Parent, so He is thrilled for sure !

I think many times we go around with this complex that because God is perfect and I know I’m not that He must constantly be displeased with me.  We then let the flesh or Satan take those feelings and we live our life in such insecurity and gloom but God doesn’t want us to live like that.  True, we need to have sorrow for when we do sin but we also need to get over it when we confess and move on knowing that God is absolutely, positively thrilled when you do what is right ! Confession of sin is right, obedience to His Word, all good !!    

Those believers John alluded to weren’t perfect but they did “walk in truth” which means here they had a pattern of obedience, do you?   When you do, rest assured: God is thrilled with YOU too !!