Fullness of Joy
Good morning Immanuel. There is a deep delight in God’s commands when we realize they draw us close to Him and his steadfast love.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11:)
I don’t like being told what to do. Being commanded to do just about anything, at best, annoys me. (Usually, it makes me downright angry and resentful, so I start looking for opportunities to rebel.) This means that for the longest time, when I read verses like Psalm 119:47, which says, “for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love,” I had no idea what to do with it. I actually thought David, the Psalmist, might just be crazy.
It was actually another Psalm that helped me see why David was right (obviously), and I was so wrong. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy.” What is this path of life that God shows us? It is living according to his commandments, and that’s where true, deep, fulfilled life is found.
On top of that, it is the path that leads directly to God’s presence, where there is fullness of joy. So, of course, there is a deep delight in God’s commands when we realize they draw us close to Him and his steadfast love.
My heart still bucks against commands. But I see now that following them is actually walking deeper into joy and closer to the heart of God who loves me.
December 30, 2022 - This Sunday At Immanuel + Year End Giving
This Sunday
NEW YEAR PRAYER SERVICE - Join us on January 1st for a combined 10:45 am New Year Prayer Service. Sam Allberry will lead us in a brief message from Luke’s gospel, and then we will pray together. What better way to start the year than coming to Jesus in prayer and laying hold of His willingness to bless us? You are welcome to join us!
NO SEMINARS - This Sunday, we will have no seminars
On The Horizon
Wednesday, Jan 4th, 6:30 pm - Wednesday Night at Immanuel (no iKids or Students)
Sunday, Jan 8th, 9am & 10:45am Sunday Services
Full seminar schedule and regular 9 am and 10:45 am Services begin.
2022 HOLIDAY CALENDAR - You can download our complete 2022 Holiday Calendar here.
As the year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to thank you for your generosity. Our 2022 yearly giving goal is $2,150,000. Back in November, we were 330k away from hitting that goal. Through your sacrificial giving, as of December 25, we are currently less than 150k away from hitting our goal! Praise God, let’s keep going! As we look towards the future, please consider making a year-end gift to help us close the gap and continue making the real Jesus non-ignorable in our city and far beyond. Follow this link to give.
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