Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. — Psalm 37:4
At the beginning, we are not mature. On the surface, that seems obvious, but sometimes it’s easy to forget.
As we start out in life as little babies, we don’t even know that other people exist, much less that we should love them even if that means personal sacrifice. That is a lesson that we learn much, much later.
God’s plan is for parents to nurture their little children so that they can take the steps of growth toward maturity. But parents aren’t perfect, of course, and all of us suffer collateral damage living in a fallen world no matter how wonderful our parents may be.
If early needs are never met, then the person gets stuck. They grow up on the outside, but stay little on the inside. Then God comes along and meets those unmet needs inside to release us to grow.
This is why the "go and sin no more" always follows a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
When our desires are corrupted, God satisfies them by giving us what we really need deep down inside instead of what we think we need.
As we mature, our desires mature. As our hearts are purified, our desires begin to look like God’s desires. What we want and what we delight in become a testimony to God’s work in our life.
God is not out to make us into self-indulgent brats. Rather, He satisfies our desires to release us from self indulgence and allow us to grow.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.