This is My Desire

Set your heart on Christ no matter what distractions!

Psalm 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”

 
Lately I've been thinking about passion. And by thinking, I mean I've been praying for less passion for ice cream and movies and more passion for salad and running! Okay just kidding, but not entirely...

PASSION is defined by dictionary.com as a strong affection or enthusiasm for an object, concept, etc. That put me to wondering what I have enthusiasm for.  What does my heart truly long for? This thought prodded me to look up the word DESIRE: a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment.

I've been thinking about the what consumes my mind, what consumes my time, and what is truly consuming my heart. Questions have been floating through my mind like: Do I spend more time reading novels than the Bible? Do I spend more time thinking about how to feed myself physically or spiritually?  Would I truly rather spend time fueling up for ministry and seeking God's will in my life or would I rather be lazy and watch TV or a movie? What are the true motivators of my heart?

This brought to mind the verse in Psalm 19:14 "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart by acceptable in your sight O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."


As I read the whole of Psalm 19 I was pleasantly reminded of where my desire and passion should be focused: the Law of the Lord is perfect, the testimony of the Lord is sure, the precepts of the Lord are right, the commandment of the Lord is pure, the fear of the Lord is clean, the judgment of the Lord is true. And ALL these things are much more desirable than gold! More than the most distracting, most beautiful, most precious, most costly, most entertaining, or valuable concept or thing this world could posses! 


So my prayer: that my desires and passions would be focused on the Lord and the glorious abundance of His truth, love, and character. That I would stand in awe of my glorious Savior and be filled with a desire and passion to be so filled with the Holy Spirit in such a way that the flow of His love can't be hindered by language, generation or culture. And right now in my life, that my desires and passions would communicate the glory, love and truth of my mighty God to all the people I interact with here in Romania. (I know, I know, I'm praying for big things, but I have a big God and He's in the business of miracles!)

This pic reminded me to fight thru the distractions!

If you want to check out all of Psalm 19 and see what I'm talking about here it is:
PSALM 19:
The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 
Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, 
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.