Joy in God

"One design you are to pursue to the end of time - the enjoyment of God in time and in eternity. Desire other things so far as they tend to this: love the creature, as it leads to the Creator. But in every step you take, be this the glorious point that terminates your view. Let every affection, and thought, and word, and action, be subordinate to this. Whatever you seek or shun, whatever you think, speak, or do, be it in order to your happiness in God,- the sole end, as well as source, of your being." -John Wesley.

I was reading a book by Sam Storms, ,"One Thing", and he used this quote to show the importance of our happiness in God. I first came along this whole "Christian Hedonist" way of thinking about a little over a year ago as I was reading through John Pipers "Desiring God". It was an amazing read, and what I mean by that is I spent everyday reading and arguing in my head why this whole "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him" idea is wrong. The more I disagreed, the wider my eyes were opened at the end of the book.
I grew up thinking of Christianity as a duty rather than, passion, pleasure, or joy. I sat there reading day after day just trying to wrap my head around the fact that I can finally relax and quit trying to please God and start seeking pleasure in God. No one can find joy in a parent who is breathing down there back and holding a stick over their head ready to whip them for every wrong, you are not learning to do the right thing, but just how not to do the wrong thing. Sadly enough that is how I viewed God for so long, so I only tried to not do the wrong things and in that I thought I was doing the right thing. The Problem in my old way of thinking is that obedience is more important than love or that obedience is love. The problem with dutiful love is that we are never satisfied and are always frightened by God as to what He would have us do, and that is not love at all. There is no personal relationship with God, just the idea that a good moral life will make God happy. But inst that what its all about? Pleasing God and making Him happy? Absolutely, but the only way to do that is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."(Matthew 22:37) This verse explains what kind of love, Agopao, the love the Father has for His Son Jesus. A limitless, perfect, eternal love. But what is love? Well love is basically a strong positive affection for something. It is impossible separate joy from love because the amount of joy you find in something or someone directly effects the amount of love you have for that person or thing. Love is measured by the amount of affection you have for something and the amount of affection you have for something is measured by the amount of joy that you find in something. The basic truth is that love is not the actions in itself, but the actions shows the measure of your love. So I guess what I am trying to say with this verse is we are commanded to love God first and foremost with agopao love, and love being the measure of your joy or satisfaction in something, than God must be more satisfying than all else. We don't make God all satisfying, He just is. We don't make God the eternal source of joy, He just is. We just need to stop thinking that we somehow make our own joy by "doing the right things", and start realizing that the right things are done because of the joy we already have in God.
Now on to idolatry. Some of you might say, as i did initially, " isn't that idolizing joy?" . Gift above giver? Well I am in no way saying seek only your joy, but to with all your heart, soul, and mind seek God and you will start to see that your natural response will be, if you are a believer, joy. God is Great, God is merciful, God is creator, God is sustainer, God is sovereign, God is pure, God is holy, God is righteous, God is peace, God is patient, God is beautiful, and God is all satisfying. God is, and always has been, and always will be all of these and so much more. God is the one and only and there is none other like Him. God is our God. God is our supplier of life, strength, hope, salvation, and joy. Not only will He supply these but He will do it for all eternity for those who love Him. The only way to love Him is to enjoy Him, and the only way to enjoy Him is to have faith in Jesus as your salvation, the pure and holy sacrifice that did and always will through all eternity satisfy Gods wrath for your sins. How great of an occasion, how great a gift, how great the mercy, how great the love, How great the sacrifice, How great is our God.

The only way to glorify God is to be so in love with Him that He is shinning forth through you to others. Every step you make, every breath you take, every thought you think, and every word you say is a measure of your love for God. It is measure of how all satisfying God is to you. You don't make God all satisfying, He is. We just need to, in faith, count all the worldly pleasures as rubbish and pray to God to know Him more for who He truly is, and He is truly all satisfying.