Saturday, February 26, 2011

Inward Pleasures

I am reading another book my soon to be father-in-law gave me: Matthew Henry's "The Pleasantness of a Religious Life. I watch sitcoms and see movies that retell the horrors that in-laws can be. I am thankful mine put solid books in my hands!

This booklet is amazing. Henry's basic premise is that the greatest pleasure we derive from our faith is that of our thought life. We live in a fallen sinful world, and on a daily basis, in the physical we encounter far more evil and suffering than righteousness and peace.

Henry argues that what it means to "set our minds on the things above" as Paul urges us to do in Colossians 3, is to take pleasure in contemplating the attributes and beauty of God in order to "energize us" as it were to live out our faith in a world full of difficulty.

Read the book. He articulates it so well!

“Tradesman that take no pleasure in their business, will not stick to it long, no more will those that take no pleasure in their religion; nor will any thing carry us through the outward difficulties of it, but the inward delights of it…”

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