In thy presence there is fullness of joy, in thy right hand are<\/p>\n
pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11). I hold the heady doctrine<\/p>\n
that no pleasures are so frequent or intense as those of the<\/em><\/p>\n grateful, devoted, single-minded, whole-hearted, self-denying<\/em><\/p>\n Christian<\/em>. I maintain that the delights of work and leisure, of<\/p>\n friendship and family, of eating and mating, of arts and crafts, of<\/p>\n playing and watching games, of finding out and making things, of<\/p>\n helping other people, and all the other noble pleasures that life<\/p>\n affords, are doubled for the Christian; for, as the cheerful old<\/p>\n Puritans used to say (no, sir, that is not a misprint, nor a Freudian<\/p>\n lapse; I mean Puritans\u2014the real historical Puritans, as distinct from<\/p>\n the smug sourpusses of last-century Anglo-American imagination),<\/p>\n the Christian tastes God in all his pleasures<\/strong>,and this increases<\/p>\n them, whereas for other men pleasure brings with it a sense of<\/p>\n hollowness which reduces it. Also, I maintain that every encounter<\/p>\n between the sincere Christian and God\u2019s Word, the law of thy<\/p>\n mouth (Psalm 119:72), however harrowing or humbling its import,<\/p>\n brings joy as its spin-off… and the keener the Christian the greater<\/p>\n the joy. I know for myself what it is to enjoy the Bible\u2014that is, to be<\/p>\n glad at finding God and being found by Him in and through the<\/p>\n Bible; I know by experience why the Psalmist called God\u2019s message<\/p>\n of promise and command his delight (Psalm 119:14, 16, 24, 35,<\/p>\n 47, 70, 77, 92, 143, 174\u2014ten times!) and his joy (vs. 111, cf. 162;<\/p>\n Psalm 19:8), and why he said that he loved it (Psalm 119:47, 48,<\/p>\n 97, 103, 113, 119, 127, 140, 159, 163, 167\u2014eleven times!); I<\/p>\n have proved, as have others, that as good food yields pleasure as<\/p>\n well as nourishment, so does the good word of God. So I am all for<\/p>\n Christians digging into their Bibles with expectations of<\/p>\n enjoyment…What is enjoyment? Essentially, it is a by-product: a<\/p>\n contented, fulfilled state which comes from concentrating on<\/p>\n something other than enjoying yourself… Bible study will only give<\/p>\n enjoyment if conforming to our Creator in belief and behavior,<\/p>\n through trust and obedience, is its goal. Bible study for our own<\/p>\n pleasure rather than for God ends up giving pleasure neither to<\/p>\n Him nor to us… what brings joy is finding God\u2019s way, God\u2019s grace<\/p>\n and God\u2019s fellowship through the Bible, even though again and<\/p>\n again what the Bible says\u2014that is, what God in the Bible tells us\u2014<\/p>\n knocks us flat.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –JI Packer<\/p>\n —————————–<\/p>\n Jesus came to raise the dead.\u00a0 He did not come to teach the teachable; he did not come to improve the improvable; he did not come to reform the reformable.\u00a0 None of those things work.\u00a0 \u2013Robert Farrar Capon<\/p>\n ——————————-<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s a lovely Hasidic story of a rabbi who always told his people that if they studied the Torah, it would put Scripture on their hearts. One of them asked, “Why on our hearts, and not in them?” The rabbi answered, “Only God can put Scripture inside. But reading sacred text can put it on your heart, and then when your hearts break, the holy words will fall inside.\u201d –Anne Lamott<\/p>\n —————————–<\/p>\n “We present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords.\u00a0 Here is wisdom; this is the royal law; these are the lively oracles of God.”<\/p>\n With these words in the coronation service the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland handed to the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth a copy of the Bible.<\/p>\n