What came first, the chicken or the egg? Chickens come from eggs, but eggs come from chickens, hence the dilemma. Clearly, there is a connection between the two; one leads to the other, as well as the other way around. It's a bit of a confusing conundrum, but I know this to be true: I love both smoked chicken and scrambled eggs.
We can get lost in a question of origin and miss the importance of a connection or, worse, the joy of the product. I would propose that this applies to joy and abiding or delight and studying as well.
Jesus tells us in John 15:10-11, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
So, does obedience lead to joy? Yes, clearly. If we keep the LORD’s commandments—we abide in his love, and if we abide in his love, his joy will be in us, and our joy will be full. Obedience leads to joy. But also, joy leads to more obedience. Christ was obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:8). And it was the joy set before him that empowered that obedience (Hebrews 12:2). So, what comes first, the joy of the Lord experienced through obedience, or the joy of the Lord that produces obedience?
Or what about Psalm 111:2, “Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.” So, do those who delight in the works of the LORD study them? Yes, of course. If you delight in God, you will seek to grow your knowledge of God. Just like if you love birds, you will probably have some bird feeders outside your window. It makes sense. Delighting leads to studying. But also, studying leads to more delighting. The one who meditates on the words of God day and night is blessed, finding delight in them, and is like a tree planted by streams of water bearing fruit (Psalm 1:1-3). So, what comes first, a delight in God that leads to studying him or studying him that deepens our delight in him? Well, I know this: I love both smoked chicken and scrambled eggs. I know joy and delight are things I want.
I think most people, if not all, would echo that desire. We want joy. We want delight. The problem is that too often we go looking for it in all the wrong places. An evolutionist will most likely tell you the egg came first, but as a creationist, I say the chicken came first. God made creatures, and creatures reproduce. So when it comes to joy and delight, don’t live like an evolutionist. Don’t wait around for an egg to magically appear, or for a chicken to come out of a reptilian egg. That’s not going to happen. But, when it comes to our spiritual lives, we often look for things to produce joy that don’t, or just wait for it to magically appear. It doesn’t work that way. Looking for peace at the bottom of a bottle or love on an obscene website is like waiting for a chicken to hatch from an alligator egg. Going aimlessly through life, waiting for joy to just—BANG—come out of nothing, is foolish. There is a creator, a supplier of joy and delight. A source to what we are looking for. So, pursuing from God what can only come from God is wise. We need to taste and see that He is good.
Study God’s Word, get to know him–his nature and character, his power and promises. Discover delight in Him. And discovering delight in God will fuel further study. Obey God, learn how wise his ways are. Abide in His love, feel his faithfulness. Discover the joy He provides, and in discovering the joy He provides, be fueled to obey all the more.