October 11, 2026 - Shirley 90th Recognition - "Enjoy Him Forever

The meaning of life comes into focus in a short answer from the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Glorifying God sounds familiar enough, with praise, worship, and “How Great Thou Art.” Enjoying God raises a harder question. The word “enjoy” sounds right for chocolate cake or a dream vacation, but what does it mean when the object is God?

Enjoying God must mean more than enjoying his gifts. The gifts point toward the giver, but the giver is the point. The picture of a dating profile offers a simple way into the question: What does God enjoy? Philippians names whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, and worthy of praise. The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Enjoying what God enjoys means more than receiving kindness and patience from somebody else. The Spirit’s fruit takes shape in a person’s own life.

Peace opens up that picture further. Shalom means wholeness, well-being, and tranquility, not merely the absence of an argument. Shalom pictures safe children, healthy relationships, generosity, and differences handled with grace. God stands at the center of that life, filling it with “ever increasing delight.” “Shalom Land” sounds like a place worth enjoying.

The trouble is that life often looks more like a demolition derby. Pain can scream so loudly that God’s presence becomes hard to recognize. Faith cannot depend on sunshine and roses, and enjoying God cannot belong only to the good days. Psalm 23 does not remove the valley of the shadow of death. God offers companionship through it. God’s love does not always fix the trouble, but it does “lovingly sit next to us on the struggle bus.”

The old explanation of the catechism brings the pieces together: “To enjoy God is to acquiesce or rest in God as the chief good.” Acquiescence here carries contentment, not merely reluctant surrender. Resting in God means trusting his goodness when circumstances are not good. Enjoyment rests on who is present, not on what happens. God’s beauty in creation, the Spirit’s fruit, and God’s comforting presence all invite that trust. The word “forever” carries the promise beyond the last breath. The glory of God and the enjoyment of God “walk hand in hand.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Enjoying God reaches beyond his gifts. God’s blessings invite delight, but enjoyment of God does not stop with what he gives. The beauty of creation points toward the Creator, and the Spirit’s fruit reveals what pleases him. Enjoying God deepens as his goodness becomes desirable in itself, not simply useful for making life easier. [42:34]
• 2. Shalom gives peace a fuller meaning. Shalom reaches beyond a quiet moment into the wholeness of relationships and community. God’s peace includes safety, generosity, belonging, and differences handled without contempt. The fruit of peace therefore takes shape not only in inward calm, but also in kindness and patience toward other people. [44:39]
• 3. God offers companionship inside the valley. Psalm 23 leaves the dark valley in place rather than promising a route around it. God’s comforting presence makes that valley a place of companionship rather than abandonment. Faith makes room for honest pain while entrusting that pain to larger hands. [48:43]
• 4. Resting in God outlasts good circumstances. Enjoying God means resting in him as the chief good, not treating comfort as proof of his goodness. Trust can hold together real hurt and real contentment in God without pretending that suffering feels pleasant. The promise of “forever” carries that relationship beyond present trouble and beyond the last breath. [50:44]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [38:51] - The Meaning of Life
• [40:13] - Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever
• [42:34] - Enjoying the Giver, Not Just the Gifts
• [43:36] - What Does God Enjoy?
• [44:39] - The Full Meaning of Shalom
• [46:28] - Enjoying God When Life Hurts
• [48:43] - God’s Companionship in the Valley
• [50:44] - Resting in God as the Chief Good
• [52:08] - Enjoying God Forever

Bible Reading

Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” [43:55]

Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” [44:11]

Psalm 23:4
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” [48:56]

Observation questions

1. How are Philippians 4:8 and the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23 connected to enjoying what God enjoys? [44:04]
2. What examples in the description of “Shalom Land” show that peace involves more than the absence of conflict? [45:14]
3. In Psalm 23:4, what danger remains, and what gives the person walking through it comfort? [48:56]
4. What distinction is made between receiving love, patience, and kindness from others and having those qualities take shape in a person’s own life? [44:29]

Interpretation questions

1. How might focusing on what is good and worthy of praise in Philippians 4:8 help someone delight in God himself rather than only in what God gives? [43:55]
2. If peace includes wholeness and well-being, how might the Spirit’s fruit lead someone to address a strained relationship rather than simply avoid an uncomfortable conversation? [45:14]
3. How does Psalm 23:4 challenge the idea that God’s goodness should be measured by how quickly he removes someone’s troubles? [48:56]
4. In light of God’s companionship in Psalm 23:4, what is the difference between resting in God’s goodness and pretending that suffering does not hurt? [51:25]

Application questions

1. Think of a gift you have enjoyed recently—a beautiful place, a friendship, or an unexpected kindness. What did it help you notice about God, and what might help you move from appreciating the gift to enjoying the giver? [50:07]
2. What has been filling your attention lately? Is there one change you could make this week to give more room to the things Philippians 4:8 calls good and worthy of praise? [43:55]
3. Which fruit of the Spirit do you especially appreciate receiving from others but find harder to show yourself? In what specific situation could you ask the Spirit to grow that quality in you this week? [44:29]
4. Where in your family, workplace, church, or neighborhood do you see a need for greater belonging, generosity, or kindness? What small step toward that fuller peace could you take? [45:14]
5. If you feel comfortable sharing, when has pain made God’s presence difficult for you to recognize? What kind of companionship helped—or would have helped—without trying to explain away or quickly fix the pain? [48:29]
6. Is there a situation you are facing in which you long for God to change the circumstances? What might resting in his goodness look like this week while still being honest with him about your hurt or disappointment? [51:25]