The Desires of Your Heart

Even Better than You Thought

“Foward to Splendor” by Myra Alibrando

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After this devotional is a 99-second bonus nature audio that will fascinate you.

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"Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Desires 50 Years Ago

50 years ago, when I was a new Christian, I loved the verse "He shall give you the desires of your heart" from my favorite Psalm 37. 

In the beginning of that verse, is a condition: “delight yourself in the Lord”.

It looks like Santa granting a Christmas list, if you simply delight yourself in the Lord. Then, maybe a year later, I became nervous about a 2nd interpretation. What if God doesn't give me what I really want and instead, He is promising to give me different DESIRES? Oh no, I hope not!

That was me in my early twenties. Thankfully, I've learned a little on my journey of mistakes, misinterpretations, sin, rebellion, and ignorance. Thank God, He never gave up on me. 

Better than a Genie

Don't be upset that God isn't a genie granting your every wish, but He kind of does. It is no trick. It is love. We assign happiness to certain things and then pursue them, even though they may never bring happiness.

For example, a man thinks if he gets a certain job, he will be happy. After he gets it, he does not stay happy. A woman thinks if she could get a certain man to marry her, she will be happy, but after the wedding day, she does not remain happy.

Designer Desiring Creation’s Happiness

God knows how we are built. A car makes a terrible boat, and a boat makes a terrible car. When things are well-maintained doing what they are designed to do, things flow. 

It turns out, that sin does not bring happiness, but righteousness does. The Designer knows what is right.

Originally, in the Garden of Eden, love, happiness, and wonderful relationships was the life that God made on earth.

Getting God to Get Us Stuff 

“Seek first the kingdom and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

If you seek God to get prosperity, God is not #1, prosperity is your Number One. God is your ticket to get what you want. This will never work if your goal is to use God to get what you selfishly want. Ironically, God actually is your ticket to happiness and more, but not as your puppet, but as your Lord. He will teach you to love and conquer selfishness.

Those things I craved as a teen were things I genuinely thought would make me happy. Typical things a young American man would crave: money, a beautiful woman, prestige, the respect and envy of others, to be considered a model of success to others. As a Christian, it was all quite materialistic but naively sincere. After all, wasn't Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wealthy? Wasn't Job wealthy? Weren't there promises of prosperity? It seemed I had plenty of scripture to support pursuing my materialistic desires. Sadly, there are many teachers feeding us that idea, also.

Toys and Stuff

If you said to an 8-year-old boy playing with his army men and toy trucks and said "You won't like these things when you are 25. You will want a wife, a good job, good health, and education." That 8-year-old might say "You're crazy. I will never give up my toys."

What Does This Look Like in Your Life?

Visualize the fruit of the Holy Spirit, but not in religious terms (from Galatians 5:22-23).

• How many seek real love around the world? It is a not only a command, but a fruit. No movies about love as a fruit.

• Not giggling or feeling high, but an inner light of joy. When was the last time you woke up feeling that? Imagine lasting, lingering joy. With so many seeking pleasure, I often see bondage to many of those “happiness things”. Joy is different.

• Peace. If we all had peace, it might ruin the pharmaceutical industry. God not only commands us to not worry, to not fear, to not be anxious, but also promises inner peace as . . . fruit, not a hopeless pursuit.

• Think about traffic, being cheated and lied to, think of immature or obnoxious people. Now, are we patient? I don’t mean tolerant or politely restrained, but literal, sincere patience. Wow. I need more of this. 

• Kindness? When I'm having a hard day, I cannot overstate the value of encountering a kind person. Who hasn't said something rude or cruel causing injury? Kindness is compassion with a maturity of strength. There is no time machine in the fruit of the Spirit, but oh, how we wish we could take back times of impatient unkindness to loved ones. Imagine your own kindness being as natural as oranges on an orange tree?

• Besides Goodness, Faithfulness, and Gentleness, what about self-control? Imagine the real power of self-control? To identify a bad habit and decide "I won't do that anymore" and that be permanent? Wow. Can you imagine the pace of progress in your life with that kind of integrity powered by self-control? Whether it be to play a musical instrument, enhance your health, or pursue wisdom, what a quality!

This stuff sounds really great, doesn’t it? This is the point; fruit from your own character can create happiness that rises above circumstances.

God’s Buddy, Servant, Adopted

As we delight in God, we absorb His values and be we really crave many wise and wonderful things. We recognize God wants to give us our greatest desires and more.

Yeah, He is smarter than us and when we look deeper, we appreciate Him more; applauding, then worshipping how fantastic He really is.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

It is your week, make it a blessing.

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Click Play: unrelated, fascinating Creationism - 99-second audio

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