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The Relationship between Love and Delight (Psalm 119:47)

I shall delight in Your commandments, which I love.
Psalm 119:47

I have often counseled young couples who are anticipating marriage. Many have longed for their wedding day. Because of the love they have for one another, they easily find time to spend together. The truth is, if they did not have an intense desire to spend time together, I would be seriously concerned about the success of their marriage.

It is very easy for Christians to speak of having a love for God and His word. The truth is, a love for God and His word will translate into a delight in His word. To delight is to enjoy, treasure, and take satisfaction in. It is something that is precious to us and well worth the investment of our time.

You can imagine the marital strife that would result from a spouse making it clear that they will try to communicate with their husband or wife every day for 15 minutes in the morning. But some days are going to be too busy and their communication will have to wait. In fact, there may be times when a quick phone call will have to suffice. We all know that this marriage is headed for big trouble.

The psalmist is not trying to make God’s word a priority; it is a priority. He does not spend time in the word because it is his responsibility; it is his delight. He is not trying to carve out a few minutes so that he can quickly read it and be on his way. The psalmist is in love with God’s word and he finds it delightful to spend time in it.

The more time we spend in God’s word, the more treasures we discover. The words of the Scripture bring life; they give wisdom and understanding. Through reading, studying and meditating on God’s word we learn about the heart of God and the priorities of God. As we learn about God and His priorities, we learn how to live life in such a way that He is glorified. And for the true believer, living a life that is pleasing to the Lord is a great privilege.

Consider the words of the apostle Paul:

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:8–11

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Rocky Wyatt

Rocky Wyatt came to know the Lord as a young teenager and began working in youth ministry when in college. After serving in churches in Utah, California and Colorado, Rocky moved to Texas to serve as Youth Pastor at Countryside Bible Church. He served there for 26 years where he eventually moved from youth ministry to serve as an Associate Pastor.

Over the course of his ministry, Rocky has always had a desire to train men for pastoral ministry in the context of the local church. In 1992 he started XL Ministries, an organization that is committed to helping churches establish intensive internships for pastoral training. In 2020 he left his position at Countryside Bible Church to become the Executive Director of XL Ministries and now works full time assisting churches in training men for ministry.

He is co-author of The Youth Ministry Training Manual, a textbook for training youth pastors, and has also written multiple other resources for use in various local church ministries. He is currently working on a book to encourage churches to take the primary responsibility to train pastors.

Rocky is married to Pamela, has two sons and daughters-in-law, and ten grandchildren. 

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.1 Corinthians 15:58