Finding Your Heart's Desire

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

At first glance, the words from Psalm 37 feel a bit like a blank check. They seem to say, "Enjoy God and get everything you want." But instead of a promise of prosperity, the words are a proclamation of a profound truth; the closer you draw to God, the more your desires will reflect his own.

This oft-repeated verse is part of an acrostic psalm, where every other line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Although each verse in Psalm 37 contains its own unique insight, all the verses work together to convey one important message. Those people who are wise have no need to worry during times of trouble. This psalm gives you four practical ways to defeat worry when evil people seem to be getting ahead: (1) trust in the Lord, (2) commit your way to the Lord, (3) wait on the Lord, and (4) delight in the Lord.

The focus of the psalmist's words is delighting in the Lord. The Hebrew word for delight is much more powerful than its English counterpart. Here it means "to find exquisite joy," To delight in God is to find your deepest pleasure, your highest ecstasy, and your richest fulfillment in life through your relationship with him. This is an ongoing process as you delight in him afresh each day. As your relationship deepens, what is dear to God's heart becomes dear to your prayers are answered, you discover that your deepest desires are fulfilled.

Any time you desire something that you know would also delight God, spend a moment thanking God for how he's helping you grow to be more like him.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God and give thanks for his leadership; for his faithfulness to you and your life. That he loves us so much that his promise is to bring delight, joy and ecstasy both on earth as it is in heaven. ~ MME Team

Blade of Truth

God's word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts.

Hebrews 4:12

The family has an invaluable role in passing on the faith in a joyful and bold manner. Children will learn that they are members of the Body of Christ and have a valuable role in the Church. Let us read the Bible as a family of God.

          The Bible is not your ordinary book. Like a surgeon's scalpel, it has the power to slice through lies to expose raw truth. It can prick a guilty conscience, heal a broken heart, or open eyes that have long been blind to God's existence. The verse in Hebrews is like the Bible's warning label. It lets you know that what you're holding in your hands should be handled carefully - and that it will leave a reader or listener a changed person.

          That's because the Bible is much more than merely print on paper. The Bible is alive with the power of God's Spirit. Like Jesus, its genesis is both fully human and fully divine. Through ordinary people wrote it, God worked through those writers in an extraordinary way. Throughout the Bible's sixty-six books of history, prophecy, and guidelines for living written over a period of six hundred years by more than thirty authors using three languages, there is a consistency of purpose about God and his plan that mere coincidence could never achieve.

          The Bible is not a reference book to teach you about God. The Bible is an invitation to connect with God in a personal way - and to learn more about yourself in the process. The more time you spend reading the Bible and meditating on how God wants you to apply what you've read, the more you'll learn to recognize the whisper of God's Spirit in your life and to see his hand at work in the world around you.

          Get to know God better by becoming better acquainted with the Bible. Reading one psalm and a chapter from one of the Gospels each morning is a great way to begin.

          Pray for heavenly vision, to transform your view of the Bible from mere words to the THE WORD. "The Word is God's most intimate, and informative, communication with those whom he created." ~ MME Team
       

Heart Transplant

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26

          A beating heart is a sign of life. Physically, your heart beats regularly. But spiritually, until you get to know God firsthand, your heart is flat-lining. God promised the prophet Ezekiel (along with everyone who chooses to follow God) the ultimate heart transplant - replacing stone with  flesh. This "flesh" is humanity as God originally created it, which is  more than simply being human. It is the promise of being fully alive - physically, emotionally, and spiritually - in both this life and the next.

          The people of Israel believed a person's "heart" reveals who a person really is. The heart cannot put on airs or be something it is not. It is the emotional and spiritual center of every individual. When God's Spirit becomes the center of people's lives, the Bible says that they are "born again." Along with a new heart comes a new start.

         However, this heart transplant is possible only through the power of God's Spirit. Trying to become more loving, generous, and kind through self-effort can never bring a heart of stone to life. Only God's gift of his presence can  jump-start a heart into permanent change. God's Spirit at work in you enables you to hear God's voice as he guides your decisions, to see his hand as he moves through circumstances, and to fulfill his plans for you to become the person he created you to be.

          Through God's words to Ezekiel, you are given a beautiful metaphor to help your understand what happens when God's Spirit comes into your life: you are fully alive for the very first time.

          Pray for faithfulness as God's Spirit works a transformation in your heart. Keep yourself in the word and confess all shortcomings so God may be alive in your heart. ~ MME Team