Wed., 6/26/13 Devotion (Isa. 58:13b-14a)

Today's encouragement comes from Isaiah 58:13b & 14a, where we read these words:

"And [if you] call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD hon-orable . . . Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD . . . "

How do we "delight" ourselves "in the Lord"? Or, to put it another way, "How do we experience the truest, highest, and most lasting and sat-isfying pleasure?" The answer: by delighting in the *same* things that God Himself does.

The Lord delights in seeing faith and repentance in people, which mani-fest themselves immediately in love for Christ, His gospel, the Sabbath Day (Sunday), church, and worship. Do we want to be really happy, like God is? If so, then we must adopt His values, His priorities, and His love-objects.

[Puritan quote of the day: "We must keep grace in exercise. It is not sleepy habits, but grace in exercise, that preserves us." --Richard Sibbes, in, "The Bruised Reed"]