"When I run I feel his pleasure." This is the answer Eric Liddell gave to his sister when she complained that he was neglecting his Bible studies and other Christian activities while they were students at the U. Of Edinboro, Scotland. But Eric had the peace and joy of The Lord as he ran track, and eventually won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympics. He may have had just as much pleasure from God if he had come in last place, by the way. He died as a missionary at the hands of Japanese occupation while in China.
What is it that you do that brings pleasure to the Triune God? For me it is to write, and less frequently these days, to preach orally. During my first patorate I was asked by a good friend whether I sensed the presence of The Lord more during the preparation of my sermons or during the delivery. I answered during the preparation, definitely. I have some theories as to why that was, and the verse comes to me, "Even Jesus could do no mighty works when he was surrounded by unbelief." Since then sometimes God was with me unmistakenly as I preached in person.
I certainly do not sense his presence as much when I cook or clean or shop. If one is doing these activities in order to show hospitality instead of to show off, I do see how it is possible for God to bring supernatural joy to a person who does that. The motivation is all important when we do our daily chores. Do we do them for the glory of Jesus Christ or for our own pleasure- the two may or may not be the same at all. Especially when we are lying or stealing or committing fornication, we may have pleasure but it will not be from the God of the universe. When we delight in anything else forbidden by the Bible, we can be sure the pleasure is from the dark side and not from the kingdom of light!
On a daily basis, Christians are responsible not only to avoid gross and clear sins, but also to be holy, and to affirm patience, kindness, unselfishness, forgiveness, repentance, and other God commanded traits. It is so easy for even the most dedicated Christians to quench the Holy Spirit by delighting in greed and revenge, etc. We all have hearts that are so warped by our innate sinfulness and our culture, that Christians have a civil war within us. We are daily torn between following our logic and feelings, or what the Bible says is good and right. So it no great wonder that so many speak of the will of God when their claims contradict the clear a d repeated teachings of the Bible. But the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the fact that no archeological find has ever controverted any of the Bible should cause all to respect it is millions of times better than the next best book. That is the basis for pleasure of the deepest kind that has no bad side effects!
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