I Do Not Understand What I Do Series

ILL.- In my office I have two largemouth bass mounted and hanging on the wall. The largest of the two weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. It was a fat female getting ready for spring spawning time. I caught when I was fishing all by myself one April, 1986, in a small lake in southern Illinois called Cedar Lake, a 1750 acre lake just south of Carbondale. I knew when that bass hit the lure that it was a big fish and fortunately for me I had a net in my boat which helped me land the fish. I put the fish in a cooler filled with water because I wanted to keep it alive as long as I could.

My son Shane was six years old at the time and could barely lift that fish. I have a picture somewhere of him holding it up with both hands. I took it to the local newspaper and they took a picture of it. I also won a contest that week sponsored by the newspaper since it was the biggest fish caught that week. I won $50 worth of fishing merchandise at the local Wal-mart store. Needless to say, it was fun to catch that bass, take it home, show it off, get my picture taken with it, win a contest, and then finally get it mounted. We humans do delight in the things of this world, do we not?

22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.

Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Do we delight in God’s law? And how can we learn to delight even more in His law or His Word? What I have discovered is that the more I get into something good, the more I want to do it! This may hold for many things but it really holds true for God’s Word. The more I study scripture, the more I want to study scripture and the more delighted I become with it!

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Not only does scripture convict us when we read, but it also brings joy to our hearts! Why? Because it’s God’s Word!

I John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

ILL. - A long time ago, a poor, nervous wreck of a person called on a famous London doctor. The doctor said to the man: “You need to laugh. Go down and hear Grimaldi, the famous clown. All London is holding its sides laughing at him.” But the visitor straightened himself and said, “Doctor, I am Grimaldi.”

That’s the way of the world. The joy of this world doesn’t last or perhaps it isn’t so great after all.