Have you ever gotten something you really wanted and experienced excitement and guilt? You are excited that your heart’s desire has been realized. At the same time there is a sense of guilt that getting what you want is a bad thing. Is getting something we desire a ‘bad’ thing?
Desire: A Godly Thing
The Church has sometimes fostered the idea that getting the desire of one’s heart and enjoying life is a bad thing. Yet, Psalm 37:3-4 says,
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Believers are meant to take pleasure in their Heavenly Father. One’s relationship
with God allows us to enjoy the pleasure of His company. And it is our pleasure to know Him through the grace that makes the relationship possible! All this is cause for delight and joy! When our delight is in God, when our highest desire is to enjoy the pleasure of His company and the mystery of His transforming grace and glory – all the desires of our heart will be for more of the same. We will desire more of His grace, more of His presence, and more of Him in every area of life. That simply means taking more pleasure in His glory.
Desire The Real Deal
Satan tempted Eve in the Garden with instant gratification. He substituted his words for God’s words. Eve was tempted to trust Satan instead of God. Satan is a liar and cannot give anyone lasting joy. The only satisfaction Satan can give is what God’s Word calls, the pleasure of sin for a season. But God promises real joy. And He can deliver! His joy often comes through delayed gratification as we immerse ourselves in Him and His Word. Just like Eve, we must decide if we will listen to, trust, and believe God or Satan.
There is nothing wrong pleasure. We’re made for it. But we can have a problem with pleasure. And that is most often related to the pleasure’s source. Does the pleasure come from within myself and my own sinful nature or does it come from God? Desire the Lord. Delight in Him. If you do, the Psalm says He will give you more of what you desire: Him! —
Stan
Editor’s Note: Edited and re-posted. Original post was October, 2013.
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