PSALM 119:10

I seek you with all my heart;

    do not let me stray from your commands.

TO PONDER

I know Pastor Nich and I talk about this all the time but there is a good reason for it - Jesus spoke about it a lot too. It's the desires of our hearts.

So often the Bible talks, like it does here in psalm 119, about loving or seeking God with 'all our hearts'. Jesus and the apostles often spoke or wrote about the things our hearts desire - "where your treasure is, there your heart is also", or "Love the Lord your God with ALL YOUR HEART, soul mind and strength," that kind of thing.

This is because our desires are often the thing that run away with us first. You see it in young children at daycare who see a toy they want and simply snatch it from another child. They are too young to filter their behaviour through the reasoning processes we learn as we mature but their actions are driving in those moment by their desire for the toy.

Adults are not really much different. Most of us hold in our heart, a picture of the way we think life ought to be. This is the life that our heart desires. That picture might look slightly different for everyone. Now unlike the simply mind of a toddler, we have the capacity to be much more subtle about our behaviour choices and to cover up the true desires of our hearts. However, you had better believe that when someone gets in the way or disrupts that little picture of how we think things should work, that beautiful dream which our heart has decided is the perfect world, that there is a reaction on the way.

At that point we have 2 possible reactions. One is to take it upon ourselves to restore the perfect image that our self centred hearts have concocted for us, or we can seek God with all our hearts. See the reality is that only God can see the whole scene clearly, and only his picture of the way things should be is truely 'right'. As the wisdom writer tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6, we should trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding. If we acknowledge God in all our ways, He will make our paths straight.

God has given us a wonderful gift by giving us minds that can reason and hearts that desire good things, however our hearts are not always to be trusted. So put your trust in God instead.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I know that I do not fully understand the consequences of even some of my simplest decisions. I pray that you would lead me and guide me today and make my paths straight and give me a heart that longs for the same things as your own heart. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.