Ernest Smith

A little over a week ago, I posted a blog called “How Far Is Too Far?” It was a summary of a message I gave a few months back on the topic of purity.  Within it, I discussed the fact that instead of thinking “How far is too far?” or “What should I not do in a relationship?” it seems that God would want us to care more about what we should be doing.

The question that I posed in the message, and in the blog, was “So, what should I be doing when it comes to relationships?”

The first point that I made is that “I should be pursuing Jesus more than anyone else.”  You can read those blogs here and here.

The second point that I made in the message that we should be doing when it comes to relationships, is…

I should care more about loving others and meeting their needs, rather than my own.

In ministering to young people for over 15 years, I have heard the phrase “God is going to give me the desires of my heart” time after time.  I have heard people pray it, preach it and proclaim it with all of their heart.  This mentality comes from Psalm 37:4 which states, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Although these individuals have had good desires, like many passages in the Bible, people take this verse out of context all the time.  Many use this verse to say what they want it to mean…what feels good.  It feels good to say that God is going to give me the desires of my heart.  It feels good to know that God is looking out for me.  It feels good to know that all I have to do is be cool with God and he will give me what I want.

The problem is that God is no genie in a bottle.  God was not created to meet our desires, but rather we were created to meet God’s desires.  What the Psalmist is saying is that if we truly delight ourselves in the Lord, then he will give us the desire of our heart, because ultimately, our desire would be HIS desire.

So when the Scripture says that God will give us the desires of our heart…that is true…however; the desires of our heart will not consist of a nicer car, a bigger house or even a spouse.  God will give us the desires of our heart, when our desire matches up to HIS desire.

That begs the question then, “What is God’s desire?”

Micah 6:8 gives us a glimpse into what it is that God desires.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Nowhere in this passage does God promise to give us a house, a nice retirement package or a wife, 2 kids and a dog.  God says that His desire, which should be our desire, is that we would…

          1.       Do Justice

This means that we are to not only treat people right, but that we should be fighting for all people to experience justice.  To do justice means that we are more focused on the well-being of others, rather than focusing on our own desires and circumstances.

          2.       Love Kindness

To love kindness, in the Greek, means to have good sense, zeal toward others and to show love.  What God desires is that we would be so focused on others that we would show love to them and a zeal for them.  It means that we must be more focused on the well-being of others, rather than focusing on our own desires and circumstances.

          3.       Walk Humbly with God

Walking humbly with God is no easy task.  It means that we stay faithful to Him because of who He is and we come to an understanding of who we are.  To walk humbly with God is to understand that we are nothing without him and to remain faithful to him no matter the circumstances we may find ourselves in.  It means that we must be more focused on the well-being of others, rather than focusing on our own desires and circumstances.

Do you want God to give you the desires of your heart?  Well, if so, He will….but, only if they are His desires.  May we be a generation that Does Justice, Loves Kindness and Walks Humbly with our God.

Which of these three characteristics do you struggle with? 

What can you do today to be more focused on loving others and less focused on yourself?