Poof

Psalm 27:4 (ESV)

One thing have I asked of the Lord,

    that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

    all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

    and to inquire in his temple.

Three men were marooned on a desert island. As the days slowly went by, they dreamed of what it would be like to be at home with their friends and family, to be back at their jobs doing the things they loved. One day one of the men found a bottle. When he opened it, a genie came out and announced that he would grant each of them one wish.

"Really?" one of the men said, "Boy, I sure would love to be back in Seattle with my wife and kids." POOF! -- in an instant he was gone. Seeing that, the second man immediately gave his request," I want to be back in New York with my fiancé!" And in a flash, POOF! -- he was gone too.

The third man was left all alone sitting on the sandy beach and said, "Wow, it's lonely here with my friends gone. I sure wish they'd come back. And POOF.

Merriam Webster defines "wish" as "to have a desire for, as something unattainable". We use that word all too often, don't you think? We're always wishing for something, always yearning for something, always "needing" that one more thing. It seems we can never be satisfied! There is only one thing we should truly desire, that is to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives.

He is the only One who can truly satisfy our longings. Let's give our hearts and desires to Him once again today.

Dear Lord, help our desire to be focused on You. Help us look forward to the day we will spend with You for eternity. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Do Your Desires Block God's Blessings?

Matthew 7:11 (NIV)

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said "with all your money, you give me a Bible?" And stormed out of the house.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago.

With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt.7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?" As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words

"PAID IN FULL".

How many times do we miss God's blessings because we can't see past our own desires???????

Dear Lord, thank You for all You do for us. Help u snot let our own desires get in the way of what You have for us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.