Bringing Joy To Our Heavenly Father

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

3 JOHN 4

AT AN END-OF-THE-SEASON SPORTS BANQUET, MY SON AND HIS teammates slipped out of the restaurant where we had been eating pizza and went next door to a video store to scope out some of the newest video games. About five minutes later, Graham returned to the restaurant, alone. We thought it odd that Graham came back early, all by himself, but didn’t say anything about it.

When we got home, we found out what had happened. After checking out the video games, one of the boys said, “Hey, let’s go look for dirty covers on the movies.” The rest of the team fell into line; Graham said no and slipped out of the store, on his own.

I felt my heart swell with affection for Graham when I heard the story. We had been having a series of lunches discussing a hundred-year-old book, J. C. Ryle’s Thoughts for Young Men, in which Ryle warns of a young man’s temptations. It so encouraged me to see Graham taking this teaching to heart. I felt far more proud of him for this than for his outstanding play in the championship game.

The next day, I had to leave for a cross-country trip. As I prayed in the early morning hours on my drive to the airport, God brought back to my mind the affection I had felt over Graham. I believe he was suggesting that that’s how he feels when we adults walk away from temptation. Our temptations may differ from those of our children, but the spiritual pressure is just as real and the consequences just as severe. When God sees an adult son or daughter face such temptation and walk away, his heart likewise swells with affection.

I’m not suggesting that God loves us more based on our behavior but that we can bring special satisfaction to our heavenly Father by living obedient lives. I am so attuned to disappointing God when I fail, so acutely aware of how much pain I cause him when I mess up, that it felt quite refreshing to think that when I walk away from temptation, I bring him great pleasure.

The apostle John wrote that nothing gave him more pleasure than to hear that his children were walking in the truth. I believe he modeled the father heart of God when he said this. As parents, we can certainly attest to this truth with our own kids.

Today, you will have opportunities to bring pleasure to God. So often, when we consider sin, we think of negative consequences: getting found out, landing in trouble, facing God’s wrath. But just for once, why don’t we consider the positive consequences of obedience that bring joy to our heavenly Father? Let’s put a smile on God’s face. Let’s bring him great happiness.

When you walk away from an infatuation and choose to stay faithful to your marriage, you make God happy.

When you do your work with integrity and treat your business as if God himself were reviewing your records, you put a smile on his face.

When you take the time to encourage someone, when you help someone who needs a hand, when you stop gossip cold in its tracks, you make God proud and bring him great joy.

What a way to look at the day! I can make God smile. I can make God proud. I can bring God great joy!

Let’s get started.

Heavenly Father, your forgiveness and grace have filled us with such pleasure; how amazing it is to think that something we do can bring pleasure back to you. Give us a new hunger to live obedient lives so that we might make you smile. In Jesus’ name, amen.