Do you believe God wants you to enjoy your life? Of course, He does. In fact, part of God’s will is for you to enjoy every moment of it. How can I be so sure? Because His Word says so in many places. King Solomon, who is considered to have been very wise, wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:24, “There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and make himself enjoy good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God.” Solomon said to make yourself enjoy the good of your labor. That sounds like it is something we must do as an act of our will. This does not mean that all of life becomes a huge party or a vacation, but it does mean that through the power of God we can learn to enjoy all of life, even things others would consider ordinary and boring. I think a lot of people have the mentality of just trying to “endure” large portions of their life, but I believe it is tragic to live and not enjoy every moment. I admit that some things are more pleasant to our emotions than others, but we can learn to enjoy God’s presence in everything we do. Try reminding yourself throughout the day that God is with you and the moment you have right now is a gift from Him.
I was struggling with the whole concept of enjoying life until I did a study on what the Lord had to say about it; now I know it is His will and something I am not only entitled to, but actually need. I need to enjoy life for myself, but also for Jesus, Who paid a very high price for me to be able to do so.
Jesus Himself, when He stated why He came to earth, said, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)” (John 10:10). He also said, “I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing” (John 15:11) and “But now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete” (John 16:24). When He prayed to the Father in John 17:13, He actually prayed that we would have joy: “And now I am coming to You; I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them [that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts].” With Jesus Himself speaking and praying such powerful words about His desire for us to have joy, how could we ever doubt that God wants us to be happy and enjoy our lives? If it is God’s desire that we enjoy life, then why are so many people miserable and unhappy? Perhaps it is because we fail to set our minds to enjoy life. We can easily fall into a pattern of surviving and enduring rather than enjoying. But a new mind-set will release you to begin enjoying life like never before. The more you enjoy life the more enjoyable you will be, so get started today and don’t delay. Meditate on and say repeatedly, “I live in the present and enjoy each moment.”
One thing I like to do that helps me savor the day is to take time in the evening to mentally recall all that I did that day. It is amazing what we accomplish and are involved in during one day, but we often go through our days so fast and with our focus divided that we barely remember them, if at all. Meditate on your day each evening and thank God for all that He brought you through and allowed you to do. If you made mistakes, you can learn from them and if you had great victories, remembering them will allow you to enjoy them all over again.
Think about It
Does your day go by in a blur or do you truly enjoy it?
