Enjoying the Lord Forever

     Having time to reflect is certainly a gift in many ways especially if our schedules tend to be filled up with many activities.  Sheltering at home has given most of us that time even though we still have chores that must get done each day.
      During my quiet times lately, I have been thinking about the first question posed in the

Family is one of the greatest gifts from God!

Westminster Shorter Catechism.  The question is:  "What is the chief end of man?"  The answer is:  "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."  This question and answer really defines man's purpose for living.  We were put here to reflect God's glory in our lives through all that
we do, think and say.  I Corinthians 10:31 states:  "Whether therefore ye eat, drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."  I must admit that some days my mirror for reflecting the Lord is not always clean and bright.  When self gets in the way, it smudges and fogs up that reflection.  However, with the help of God's Holy Spirit, we can walk in such a way as to glorify Him to this dark world and shine His light in the dark places.  We are not perfect, but He is.
     Now the second part to the answer has long puzzled me or made me think hard.  What does it mean to enjoy God forever?  When I think of the word "enjoy", I think of my five senses.  I enjoy beauty I see, food that I taste, delightful fragrance I can smell, kind words I can hear and sweet grandchildren to hug.  However, with God it is different isn't it?  Lets think through this together.
     I cannot see God since He is a Spirit, but I can read His Word.  In there, I learn who He is and who I am in relationship to Him.  I can begin to observe His character, feel His love for me and see how sin separates us.  The more we study the Word of God the more we will come to enjoy Him.  Each day, we need to make time to just spend with Him in the Bible allowing ourselves to be wrapped in His presence and filling our minds with His thoughts.
     When I think of the sense of taste, I think of communion.   We can actually get a taste of a meal representing our Lord Jesus Christ and the great sacrifice He made for us upon the cross.  Communion brings us together with our Lord like no other meal ever can.  It is a means of grace for our souls and a fellowship that goes deeper than any other.  Each time we partake, we remember the new covenant made between us and God.  It is a foretaste of heaven where we will sit at the wedding feast of the Lamb.
     While we cannot smell God, we can allow the fragrances of this world that He created to fill our nostrils with the sweet scent of heaven.  My husband and I were certain that orange blossoms were the original fragrance of heaven as we would drive by the groves around our area.  Each day, when I walk, I smell magnolias in bloom, roses growing in a garden or the smell of honey where the bees have been busy working in a wooded area.  These all remind me of God, and it brings joy to my heart.
     Though we cannot hear God with our physical ears, we can hear Him with our spirit as we pray and read Scripture.  In earnest prayer, the Lord never fails to bring up a verse I have read when I am looking for an answer.  What enjoyment we forfeit when we fail to listen with our spiritual ears to what the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts.  There are other ways we hear from the Lord as well.  When we sit under the teaching and preaching of Scripture, we are hearing from God His Word through the instrument of our pastor.  Again...another way to enjoy the Lord forever.  Since sheltering at home, my husband and I have had the privilege of listening to a number of services online.  Each one is a blessing to our hearts and to our ears.
     Even though we cannot touch God with our physical hands, we can enjoy Him through our worship.  Singing, praising Him, and fellowshipping with others is a very physical thing.  Likewise, hugging our loved ones, and praying for others are all a means of enjoying the Lord physically.  One of the reasons I have so loved choir is the ability to lift up my voice as an offering unto God.  If we play an instrument, again, it is a means of enjoying the Lord through touch.
     Ultimately, though, I have come to realize that I enjoy the Lord the most when I am content in Him on a daily basis.  We need to reach the point where we thank Him in plenty and want as the Apostle Paul described.  Whether life is going well or not, we need to have a heart that says "It is well with my soul".  Just as in any other relationship, we learn to enjoy God as we grow to know Him day by day.  We must make time to develop a deeper walk with Him.  Indeed, the longer I live in His presence, the more I have come to enjoy Him.  May this be true for us all as we grow daily in His love.  Selah!