Scripture Study - Delight/Pleasure

 2/1/24 – Delight/Pleasure

I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. (Ps. 40:8) … my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my God. (2 Nephi 9:49) … For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them,… my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard. (2 Nephi 4:15-16) And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. (Enos 1:27)

Hearken and hear, O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye whom I delight to bless with the greatest of all blessings, ye that hear me; … (D&C 41:1) … hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye (take within yourselves) that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, … (Isa. 55:2-3) … he (God) delighteth in mercy. (Micah 7:18) … the prayer of the upright is his (the Lord’s) delight. (Prov. 12:22) The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear (reverence) him, in those that hope in his mercy. (Ps. 147:11) Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. (Ps. 35:27) For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads. (D&C 25:12)

For thus saith the Lord – I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear (reverence) me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end. Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory. And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom. (D&C 76:5-7) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. … seek ye to bring forth the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:32, 31, 34)

 

Insights: It’s pretty straight forward. If we find pleasure in learning about and doing the will of God, He will in return find pleasure in blessing us – in this life and throughout the eternities. I have always loved the simplicity of an “If – Then” situation. It takes all the work out of the mental process; “if” you do this, “then” you will receive this. It’s the easiest of situations to make decisions in. We already know the outcome and we can decide which end result we want and then follow that path.

There are some magnificent promises here for those that set aside their own agenda for the Lord’s will – mansions in heaven, mercy from this life, answers to all those things you’ve always wanted to know. How could anyone think that Heavenly Father is anything but loving and wanting the absolute best for His children after reading these passages?