“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalms 37:4 KJV).
In the hearts of all mankind, of whatever race or station in life, there are inexpressible longings for something they do not now possess. This longing is implanted in the very constitution of man by a merciful God, that man may not be satisfied with his present conditions or attainments, whether bad, or good, or better. God desires that the human shall seek the best, and find it to the eternal blessing of his soul. DA 17.1
Satan, by wily scheme and craft, has perverted these longings of the human heart. He makes men believe that this desire may be satisfied by pleasure, by wealth, by ease, by fame, by power; but those who have been thus deceived by him (and they number myriads) find all these things pall upon the sense, leaving the soul as barren and unsatisfied as before. DA 17.2
It is God’s design that this longing of the human heart should lead to the one who alone is able to satisfy it. The desire is of Him that it may lead to Him, the fullness and fulfillment of that desire. That fullness is found in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Eternal God. “For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fullness dwell;” “For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” And it is also true that “In Him ye are made full” with respect to every desire divinely implanted and normally followed. DA 17.3
Haggai calls him “The Desire of all nations,” and we may well call him “The Desire of all ages,” even as He is “The King of ages.” DA 17.4
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Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for placing within me this longing for You, even before I understood what it really was. And thank You for protecting me throughout this journey to You. Please forgive me for seeking to fill it with anything unlike You. Cause me today to be borne of You and to hide Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You again and risk being separated from You for one treacherous moment. Thank You, for I pray it in the precious name of Your Son Jesus, our Savior. Amen.
If you normally receive these devotionals as a text, please note that several emergencies happened to interrupt the normal sequence of delivery.
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NOTE: These devotionals began as daily texts to encourage my academy roommate and dear friend of nearly 50 years, until she suddenly passed Feb 2023. Now I continue to compile and send them to anyone who will receive them and to her family in honor of their mom.
It is a prayerful process that may lead me to share from my personal study a Bible verse or passage and suitable commentary (or vice versa) and add a prayer. Some days, only a Scripture and prayer are ordered. I might even add a song.
Lately, I have begun featuring consecutive chapter portions of a select Bible-based book.
If you agree to continue receiving them, then this is my personal gift to you and in this way, I not only honor God but the memory of a very dear friend whom I desperately miss.
These are posted at baiom.org and shared on FaceBook and LinkedIn. I also text to my family, other loved ones, and contacts that add up to more than 120.
My personal prayer is that God will bless me to find ways to multiply this gift, so that we all may be encouraged to be found faithful in the sight of a Holy God, whenever Christ returns or our eyes are shut in the sleep of death.
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