When we speak of our own enjoyment as one of the primary goals of biblical ethics, some Christians are a bit surprised. After all, our standard for ethical living is supposed to be the character of God, not our own wants and desires. So, how are we to reconcile our own desire for happiness with God’s desire for a world that glorifies him and magnifies his kingship? Well, not surprisingly, the answer is that proper human enjoyment brings glory to God.

We’ll explore how enjoying God actually brings God glory, first by considering the role of humanity in God’s kingdom. And second, by looking at the role of the law that God gave to rule his kingdom.

When God created the world, humanity’s role was to populate and rule over God’s kingdom. But God didn’t simply want citizens who would serve him. God is a loving king. He is good and gracious and benevolent to us. And he wants us to love him. His ideal kingdom is not one in which we cower in fear of him and obey so that we can avoid punishment. Rather, in God’s ideal kingdom everyone loves the Lord and shares fellowship with him and with his people.

Consider Romans 14:17 where Paul made the following point:

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The people of God’s kingdom should be characterized by joy and peace. In other words, they should enjoy the blessings that God provides.

And listen to what Jesus taught in Matthew 13:44:

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

God’s kingdom is a cause for great joy. And the proper human response to the blessings of God’s kingdom is happiness and enjoyment.

Now, we should turn to the role of the law and how the rules of God’s kingdom are designed and intended to bring us joy.

The Bible speaks of the proper use of God’s law as a great blessing to humanity. And this shouldn’t surprise us. After all, the law reveals God to us, teaching us how to please him and how to obtain his blessings. In fact, Scripture commonly speaks of God’s law as a delight, as in Psalm 1:2 and as a gracious gift, as in Psalm 119:29 And it teaches that keeping the law results in the covenant blessings of God’s kingdom, as in Deuteronomy chapter 28:1-14. In short, the law was given for our good, for our prosperity, and for our joy.

So, when we obey God’s law, we enjoy him, and we glorify him at the same time. We enjoy him because he blesses our obedience, and because it pleases us to bring pleasure to the God we love. And our godly joy brings glory to God by fulfilling his purpose, by acknowledging his worth, and by expressing thanks toward him. In all of these ways, the role of the law shows us that enjoying God is an important part of God’s goal for humanity.

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Total word count: Approx 578 Total running time: Approx 4 minutes