Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” Genesis 17:17 (NIV)
When God gave the promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah, both of them laughed. Sarah laughed because she did not believe the promise, but Abraham laughed because he did.
When the little boy was born, he was named “Isaac,” which means, “he laughs.” Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” (21:6).
Some people misunderstand Christianity because they think it is a boring life of endless duties, do’s and don’ts, burdens, guilt, long faces and heaviness, but that is not Christianity. Faith glorifies God by rejoicing in what He has done.
Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:1-2).
We…rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received reconciliation (Rom. 5:11).
Suppose your daughter gives you a Valentine’s Day card, and when you say, “Thank you,” she says, “It was my duty.” Does it make you happy when your daughter regards you as a duty? Of course not. You don’t want your daughter to bring you a card out of duty, but out of delight. That’s what faith does. Faith glorifies God by rejoicing in what He has done.
God is glorified more by delight than by duty.
Reflect on some things you have “done for God” over the last month. Does your motivation lean more in the direction of duty or delight? Why?