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Delightful Duty (Psalm 119:16)

I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.
Psalm 119:16

What are the things in which you delight? God has given us many good things that we can enjoy immensely in this life. These can include the people God has placed in our lives, the provisions He has made for us, the places we have seen, etc.

We understand how inappropriate it is to receive a Christmas or birthday gift from someone and be overjoyed with the gift, yet demonstrate no love or gratitude to the one who bestowed the gift. Even as Christians it can be easy to delight in the good gifts of God so much that we do not delight in God Himself and in His word. When we do not delight in God’s word, we are inclined to also forget His word.

The psalmist expresses his joy in spending time in God’s word. It is not simply an assignment. He does not spend time in God’s word because of the guilt he will feel if he doesn’t or the fear of what God might do to Him. He does not spend time in God’s Word in an effort to get God to accommodate his desires. He delights in God’s statutes because they are the word of God. It is a privilege and honor to spend time in God’s word.

Furthermore, because the psalmist delights in God’s word, he does not forget it. He is not satisfying a biblical requirement by reading some of God’s word in the morning and then moving on with his day. His delight in God’s word means that he remembers it throughout the day. The result is a life that is spiritually fruitful. When we are thinking on God’s word throughout the day, we are prepared for the divine opportunities that God will most certainly bring our way. We will also find God’s word to be our sustenance in all the circumstances of life.

Enjoy your time in God’s word and determine to remember it throughout the day so that you can honor the One who has bestowed such wonderful gifts upon you!

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
James 1:17

 

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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