Psalm 16

“In Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever” (v11).  As long as we think that there might be real joy and pleasure in a life apart from God, we will dabble in that life.  The psalmist considered what the world offered and decided “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup” (v5).  He would not mess around with idols and “pour out their libations of blood” (v4); he had chosen his Master.

We can only “take up our cross and follow Jesus” if we trust that life with Him is worth the loss of other things.