Meditations

Read I Samuel 16:1-20:42

Past Performance

The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear
will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
I Samuel 17:37

Go Deep: Do you ever wonder where David got his courage to fight Goliath?  Was he just a naturally brave warrior, experienced in battle, confident in his hand-to-hand technique and just spoiling for a fight with an oversized blowhard, or was there something else?

There was something else!  David, though he was just a young man, had walked with God in an unusually intimate way.  Prior to facing the Philistine giant, David had spent countless hours in the quiet and solitude of the wilderness watching over his father’s sheep.  Hour after monotonous hour of herding sheep, passing the time by plinking Coke bottles with his slingshot—well, maybe he had other targets—writing songs of worship and talking to God, were interspersed with moments of sheer danger when wild animals would attack the flock.  In those heart-pounding moments, the only thing standing between the vicious animals and the decimation of his father’s livelihood was David—and God!

David’s time as a shepherd turned out to be a critical period of preparation for what was to come, because it was then that David had come to experience the continual presence and faithfulness of God. In those moments of distress and danger, the strong help of the Almighty had never failed; time and again, God stood by David, helped him, saved him, and the young shepherd had come to know in the depth of his being that the One who walked with him was a covenantly faithful God.

So why was David so courageous when he stood before Goliath?  He was simply drawing upon the reservoir of God-confidence that had piled up in his heart.  He just knew that he knew that the same God who delivered him from every past danger would deliver him from this present one. God’s past performance was a surefire indicator of what was about to happen. How could it be any other way?

So, have you got a Goliath in your life?  I’ll bet you do—a big, hairy, intimidating problem breathing down you neck!  You see, Goliath is still around, though he comes in a variety of forms: an impossible financial situation, a nasty boss or a threatening co-worker, a rebellious child or and belligerent spouse, a physical problem or a helpless sick loved one.  All of us face Goliaths, and the natural thing to do is what the Israelites did: shrink back in depression, cower in fear and run from the battle.

But that would be to live way beneath the level of confidence, joy and victory that God has willed for his people.  So learn a lesson from David—Goliath may still be around, but so is God.  He hasn’t changed. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  And he is still a covenantly faithful God—he can’t help himself.

Has he helped you in the past?  Has he provided for you? Healed you? Protected and delivered you?  Has he brought you this far?  Why would he not do today, and tomorrow, what he has done in the past?

He will!  So put your confidence in him.  Get your eye off Goliath and on to God, because the One who delivered you from the paw of the lion and the bear will deliver you from that nasty old Philistine.  It’s just what God does!

Just Saying… The great commentator Matthew Henry wrote, “He whose head is in heaven need not fear to put his feet into the grave.”

Mark 5:1-6:56

Are Miracles Possible?

Jesus went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep. But they laughed at him.  After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
Mark 5:39-42

Go Deep: Imagine the joy of the little girl’s parent—their daughter was dead, their hearts were broken, their hopes crushed.  But just one word from the Master changed everything.

When you read a wonderful story like this, you probably ask yourself the same questions I do: Is the Master still performing miracles today?  Are the sick still getting healed, the demonically oppressed being set free, and the dead being raised?  Are the miracles we read about in the Gospels still possible today, or were they only for that era?

This might surprise you, but about eighty percent of American adults say they believe miracles are still being performed by the power of God.  Yet do a cursory reading of leading Christian thinkers and you will find, at best, scant enthusiasm and more likely, very little support for the present reality of miracles in the world today.

How sad!  Perhaps the fact that spiritual leaders are reluctant to embrace the miracle working power of God explains why we are seeing so few of them.  Maybe it’s time for the ordinary person in the pew to bypass their pastor and take Jesus up on his promise to work even greater miracles than he did through his followers.

Who knows—maybe one of you are just crazy enough to believe Jesus will actually raise the dead one of these days. I sure hope so!

Just saying… Hebrews 13:8 reminds us, “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.”  Hmmm—guess that means miracles are still possible.

Read Psalm 36:1-38:22

Your Success Guaranteed

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

Go Deep: I love this verse. It’s one of my favorites. Here is the key to success in life—to fruitfulness and fulfillment in all you do. Not just to make things happen for yourself, but to actually have God working on your behalf to give you what you have set your heart to do.

But this is no automatic formula to riches, power and fame that David is talking about. In this verse itself is essential context that we must grasp and apply if we are to enter into the blessed life the psalmist goes on to describe. Furthermore, the entire chapter of Psalm 37 provides valuable insight that further explains verse 4. You and I would do well to read and absorb this whole psalm in context.

So let me give you a heads up on some of David’s caveats to the success he promises:

First, you’ve got to put God first and make him foremost in your life. Another way of putting it is that God must be both the center and circumference of your existence. I think that’s what David had in mind when he said, “Delight yourself in the Lord.”

God will not grant you willi nilli any old desire—that would be irresponsible of God and dangerous for you. But when you delight in God above all else, that in itself will shape the desires that arise in your heart and guard you from foolish, selfish, sinful and harmful wishes.

Second, you’ve got to delay gratification and practice patience. You will find in the rest of this psalm that over and over again David speaks of not getting in a rush to see the plan of God unfold in your life, and not getting caught up in the false success of those who are far from God. In due time, God will bring about his promised blessings. Here is how David sees it in verse 7:

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

And third, you must refuse to cut corners and commit to a consistent walk of uprightness before God. If your life is characterized by incongruent living—saying one thing but doing another—don’t expect God’s deep and abiding favor. Though much of this psalm is dedicated to this truth, notice in particular how David puts it in verses 18, 34 and 37:

The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever…
Wait for the LORD and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it….
Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future for the man of peace.

God wants to grant you success. And success as he defines it is far greater, longer lasting, and more satisfying that what the world offers. So delight yourself in the Lord, and you will find that the Lord delights himself in you!

Just saying… I love how John Piper says it: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”  If you take delight in the Lord, you can never go wrong!

Read I Samuel 11:1-15:35

What Matters Most

Then Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
I Samuel 15:22

Go Deep: Unfortunately for King Saul, this sad account of his fall from God’s favor was one of the lowest low points of his life, and the beginning of the end of his once promising rule over Israel.  Fortunately for us, reading this story with the advantage of 20/20 hindsight, his example brings us to the bottom line of what it means to walk in intimacy with God.

What is that bottom line?  That God wants our hearts more than anything else!

When we substitute duty, service or sacrifice, as Saul did, for a love relationship with God, it will always lead to disobedience, and therefore it will lead away from divine blessing.  But when we obey God out of love for who he is and gratitude for what he has done, then God will pour out his blessings upon us in immeasurable ways.  Everything that we hope our duty, service and sacrifice will bring, will be, at best, a poor substitute for walking in loving obedience to God.  At worst, the very things we thought would bring God’s pleasure upon us will turn around and cause it to be forfeited.

Do you want a revival of God’s favor in your life?  Begin to obey him.  Don’t obey merely out of duty—because you have to obey to be blessed. Don’t merely obey out of fear—because you know punishment awaits if you don’t obey. Do not obey from some sort of manipulative motive—trying to maneuver God to get him to give you want you want. Obey him out of love.  Obey him because you are so grateful for all that he has done for you that obedience is simply the only option for you.  As the great revivalist Charles Finney said, “A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God.”

The best sacrifice you can bring before God is your obedience. Offer it to God, early and often, with the right heart and the purest of motives, and watch what God will do for you.  The obedient heart is the one in which God takes the greatest delight.

Just Saying… Oswald Chambers wrote, “The golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters is not intellect, but obedience.”

Genesis 48:1-50:26

Forgiven!

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me,
but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many
lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.”
And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Genesis 50:19-21

Go Deep: The willingness to forgive is the most obvious of Joseph’s virtues, but given what his brothers had done, it is the hardest to relate to on a personal and practical level.  How do you forgive those who were supposed to cherish, encourage and protect you, when instead, they betrayed you in the worst possible way?

The key to Joseph’s forgiveness was an uncommon understanding and a radical commitment to the sovereignty of God—that God was in control of his life.  He believed it was God who had allowed his brothers to sell him into slavery some two decades ago as a part of God’s plan to save their lives.

He understood that it was God who had allowed the injustice of Potiphar’s wife as God’s way of arranging a meeting with the cupbearer in prison.  He realized why God allowed the cupbearer to then forget about him, leaving him to rot in prison another two years:  God’s timing wasn’t right.

Joseph chose to interpret all the events of his life—even these incredibly hurtful events—as God’s perfect will for his life.  He knew that if God allowed injustice or injury or inaction, it was for a greater purpose.  Therefore, letting go of bitterness and offering forgiveness was the only wise thing to do.

That’s tough when we’ve been wounded.  The last thing we want to do is forgive.  But the only healing salve for the deep emotional wounds that get inflicted from time to time in our lives is forgiveness!

Now some people think forgiving is forgetting. It’s not! It’s precisely because of we can’t forget that forgiveness is needed.  Some people think forgiveness minimizes the hurt.  It doesn’t!  It’s precisely because of the intensity of our pain that forgiveness is needed.  Some think that forgiveness means forfeiting justice.  Not true!  It’s precisely, and perhaps most importantly, that because we ourselves deserve God’s judgment, we need to extend forgiveness.

That’s why Paul taught, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)  That’s why Jesus said, “You can’t get forgiveness from God without also forgiving others.” (Matthew 6:15, MSG)  Gorge Herbert said, “He who cannot forgive another breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.”

You see, without forgiveness, there is no future of divine blessing in our lives.  Without forgiveness, there is only an endless recycling of resentment, retaliation and alienation.  Without forgiveness, our deepest wounds will never heal. Harry Emerson Fosdick was right when he wrote that not forgiving someone is like “burning down your house to get rid of a rat.”

Maybe you have someone in your life that has hurt you deeply, and you have sworn to never forgive. Joseph would advise you to rethink that position.  He would encourage you that with God’s help, you can take a step toward forgiveness, and with that step, take a giant leap toward a destiny of divine blessing!

Just Saying… C.S. Lewis said of forgiveness, “Only the truly forgiven are truly forgiving.”  And I would add to that, “Only the truly forgiving are truly forgiven.”

Mark 3:1-4:28

Kingdom Killers

“Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,
and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for
other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
(Mark 4:18-19)

Go Deep: The proclamation of God’s Word—whether from pulpits, in casual conversations, or simply through its reading in your quiet time—is meant to produce Kingdom expansion in your life. That is, the Kingdom of God, which simply put, means the rule of God within you, is no static thing. It is either thriving and bearing fruit, or it is stunted and shriveling.

A critical question you and I must constantly ask ourselves is this: Is God’s Kingdom expanding in my life? Is God’s rule gaining ground in every detail of my world? Am I bearing fruit?

If the answer to those questions is “no”, or “not a whole lot”, then the culprit will be one of those three things Jesus identified as “Kingdom killers” in his Parable of the Sower: One, the cares of this world—worry over the things we have to do; Two, the deceitfulness of riches—the wastefulness of pursuing wealth; Three, the desires for other things—wanting to keep of with the Jones’.

Jesus antidote to these three “Kingdom killers” is found in this classic verse from Matthew 6:33,

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you.”

If you are caught up in the cares of this life, turn worry into meditation on the goodness of God. What is worry anyway, except thinking continually about things you cannot control? Just flip that around and train yourself to think about the things God can control. Learn to do that continually—call it reverse worry—and it will do wonders for you.  Begin by spending time this week reading and reflecting on Matthew 6:25-33 and watch how the things that worry you get put in their rightful place—under the feet of Jesus.

If you are getting sucked into the money trap, start giving away what you have. True wealth, with the joy and satisfaction that comes from it, is to leverage your assets to resource the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38, cf. Acts 20:35)

If you are in the proverbial rat race, competing with the Jones’, just stop. Let them be the only rats in the race.  Who cares if they have a bigger house, a better car, or spend more time enjoying exotic vacations! Do you think that will matter five minutes into eternity? Listen to Jesus’ sobering words in Luke 12:15-21,

And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Got any “Kingdom killers” in your life? Try some spiritual weed killer—get rich toward God and watch his Kingdom begin to thrive in your life.

Just saying… David Livingstone wrote, “I will place no value on anything I have or may possess except in relation to the kingdom of Christ.” I would say that is a pretty good filter through which we should run every pursuit, each purchase and all of our possessions.

Psalm 33:1-35:28

A Bad Economy

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
Psalm 33:18-19

Go Deep: If you are struggling to stand under the weight of a bleak economy, I would suggest you open your Bible to Psalm 133 and just slowly, absorbingly read it.  I guarantee that you’ll feel a whole lot better if you do!

Bad economies have been around since the beginning of human history.  The difference today is that we have government bailouts and unemployment insurance to hopefully ease our pain.  In David’s day, they had famine, starvation and death! (Psalm 33:19)  And though I don’t care much for our current economic crisis, I’ll take what we’ve got any day over the poor economic indicators in Israel at the time this psalm was penned.

But no matter what era or environment we find ourselves in, we serve a God who is bigger than the bad economy du jour. That’s why we can put our hope in him.  It is God, not the president in the White House, not the loan officer at the bank, not our boss at work, who is our real source: “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.” (Psalm 33:20, NLT)  In the midst of even the most terrible and disheartening conditions, we can remain joyfully confident: “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.” (Psalm 33:21, NLT))  We can be the most secure people even in times of great social insecurity, because we are succored by his relentless, stubborn and unstoppable love: “Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.” (Psalm 33:22, NLT)

Moreover, we do not have to just endure a bad economy, we can rejoice in it—yes, you heard me—because we are in the care of the One who not only watches over all humanity—“The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race” (Psalm 33:13), he watches those who belong to him like a hawk—“But the Lord watches over those who fear him.” (Psalm 33:18) Furthermore, he is not only watching, he is working—actually using the lousy economy to bring about his plans for you: “But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” (Psalm 33:11)

I like what Andrée Seu, a senior writer for WORLD magazine, says: “We shall finally have to acquiesce to the fact that God has a purpose for lousy economies.” I suppose that is the real reason we can laugh in the face of a terrible economy—it is just another instrument in God’s toolbox to bring about his plan for Planet Earth and fulfill his purpose for little, ol’ you—and me, too!

Just Saying… C.S. Lewis wrote in The Problem of Pain, “My own experience is something like this. I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contentedly fallen and godless condition, absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends…or a bit of work that tickles my vanity…when suddenly a…headline in the newspapers that threatens us all with destruction, sends this whole pack of cards tumbling down. At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happinesses look like broken toys. Then, slowly and reluctantly…I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that…my only real treasure is Christ.”

I Samuel 6:1-10:27

A Change of Heart

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these
signs were fulfilled that day. When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession
of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power,
and he joined in their prophesying.
I Samuel 10:9-10

Go Deep: That’s exactly what I need—a change of heart.  It is not something I can produce on my own; at least not in a way that fundamentally changes who I am, how I perceive the world, how I behave, or how I respond to God.  Don’t get me wrong; I have an important part to play if my heart is ever going to get changed.  I have to be willing, I need to surrender, and I must daily yield to the Great Heart Surgeon.

The kind of heart-change I that need can only come from God.  That’s what happened to Saul.  God had great plans for Saul, and Saul was totally unaware, unsuited (at least in his own mind) and unprepared for what God had in mind—to be the very first king of God’s chosen people, Israel. So when the prophet Samuel revealed God’s plan to Saul, this handsome, young Benjamite demurred.

Yet there was something special about Saul that God saw—a pliable heart, a humble spirit, an innate leadership quality that, with some mentoring, seasoning and Spirit-filling, could rally the Israelites.  There was also in Saul a willingness to accept God’s plan, even if Saul’s first inclination was to shy away from such a lofty call.  So the moment Samuel’s revelation was finished, God’s Spirit took away Saul’s heart and replaced it with one that was equal to the task of leading a leaderless people in a time of national crisis.  Of course, I am not talking about a literal heart transplant, but there was certainly a spiritual heart transplant that day.

That’s exactly what I need—and want.  How about you?  We may not be called to lead a nation during a time of crisis, but we have been called to carry out God’s plan in a sphere of influence over which he has given us stewardship.  He has called us to beat back the kingdom of darkness and proclaim freedom to those held captive to sin, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to deliver the addicted, to love the unlovely, to restore the broken, to bring back fractured families from the brink—well, you get the picture.  That’s a pretty tall order isn’t it?  Now you get a sense of what Saul must have felt at that moment!

So how exactly are you going to do all of that when you can barely manage your own life? Well, managing your own life plus capturing your sphere of influence for the Lord can and will happen when you invite the Great Heart Surgeon to take away your weak heart and transplant it with one that is equal to the task that he has placed before you.

I get the feeling you have your doubts about what I am suggesting.  Well, join the club.  But if God can do it for Saul, can’t he do it for you, too?  Why not go to him right now and ask him for a heart transplant!

Just Saying… Perhaps you are thinking that praying for a Saul-like heart transplant is a real stretch.  But let me encourage you with this thought: It was God who led you to read this devotional piece today, and he did so for a purpose.  He wants to do in you what he did for Saul.  As C.S. Lewis wrote, “Our prayers are really His prayers; He speaks to himself through us.”  So go ahead and ask—you’re only asking for what God already desires for you!

Genesis 44:1-47:31

Useful Idiots

Don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place.
It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.
Genesis 45:5 (NLT)

Go Deep: Useful idiots!  That’s what I would call Joseph’s brothers.

Twenty-two years after they had sold him into slavery, the brothers are now standing before Joseph, and they don’t even recognize him. They have been blinded by two decades of thinking he had long since died, their perspective jaded by the haunting fear, guilt and shame of what they had done. (Genesis 44:16)  Finally, it is time for the big reveal, and the expected reaction would be that he would now exact revenge, make them pay dearly, and do to them what they had done to him.

But Joseph was cut from a different cloth than these lousy brothers.  His submission to the sovereignty of God allowed him to see the pain they had inflicted not merely through his own perspective alone, but through a perspective that saw God working through their evil actions. Joseph recognized that in all the circumstances of life, big and small, good and bad, God had been inexorably bringing the currents of his personal history to a providential conclusion.

Joseph’s submission to the sovereignty of God is revealed three times as he discloses himself to his brothers with words to this effect:  “Don’t beat yourself up; it was God, not you, who sent me here.  You had a plan and God had a plan, and God’s plan trumped yours.  You were simply unwitting but useful instruments in his hands.” (Genesis 45:5,7,8).  Joseph’s brothers might have been idiots for selling him into slavery twenty-two years before, but they were useful idiots in the hands of the Providential Ruler of all mankind.

The bottom line to Joseph’s story is that God is in control. He turns what is meant for evil to our good, extracts glory for himself even in the most impossible circumstances, and no matter what, always, always, always fulfills his sovereign purposes.  His is in control!  His is the Sovereign God of the universe, the Providential Ruler over the affairs, big and small, of all mankind, the Incomparable One who works all things for his glory.

And here’s the kicker:  He works all things not only for his own glory—but for your good!  That’s right—for your good.  Now why would the Sovereign, Providential, Incomparable One bother with little old you?  Simply because you’ve surrendered your life to him; and when you did that, you, perhaps even unwittingly, signed up to be on his sovereign plan.

So here’s the deal: If you have a few idiots making your life difficult, just remember, in God’s hands they are useful idiots.

Just Saying… Perhaps, like Joseph, people close to you have deeply hurt you.  To trust that God will use what was hurtful for his glory and your good may be the hardest thing in the world for to do right now—but do it anyway.  To grow bitter and withhold forgiveness is not only to discount the Sovereignty of God, it is to activity work against it—and that is always bad for you.  As Anne Lamont says, “Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.”  So don’t be a rat.

Mark 1:1-2:28

Desperate For God

Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd,
they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had
broken through, they let down the bed on which the
paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith,
He said to the paralytic, “Son, your
sins are forgiven you.”
(Mark 2:3-5)

Go Deep: I am not recommending that you knock over the pews to get to the altar or anything, but I wonder what you would be willing to do just to touch Jesus—either for yourself or someone you care about very deeply.  I personally like things a little more calm and controlled than that, but there was just something about a person’s holy desperation that seemed to move Jesus to action:

The blind man named Bartimaeus who wouldn’t shut up until Jesus healed him (Mark 10:46-52) …

The Canaanite woman who wouldn’t back down just to get Jesus to delivered her demonized daughter (Matthew 15:22-28) …

The woman with the issue of blood that pressed through the crowd just to touch Jesus (Mark 5:24-34)…

The guy named Zacchaeus who shimmied up a tree just to see Jesus (Luke 19:1-10)…

So how desperate is your faith?  Perhaps that’s the reason God doesn’t seem to do as much in your life, and mine, as we read about in Scripture or hear about in third-world Christianity.  When we become truly desperate for God, maybe we will see God move as he did in days of old.

There is a story told about a proud young man who came to great philosopher, Socrates, asking for the knowledge necessary to be wise.  He said, “Great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge.”  Socrates, who recognized a disingenuous and arrogant numbskull when he saw one, led the young man through the city streets to the sea, where they walked chest deep into water.

Then Socrates asked, “What do you want?”

“Knowledge, O wise Socrates,” the young man said with a smile.  So Socrates put his strong hands on the man’s shoulders and pushed him under.  Thirty seconds later Socrates let him up.

Again Socrates asked,  “What do you want?”

“Wisdom, great and wise Socrates,” the young man sputtered.  So Socrates shoved him under again. Thirty seconds passed…thirty-five…forty.  Finally when Socrates let him up, the man was gasping.

“What do you want, young man?” the venerable old teacher asked again.

Between heavy, heaving breaths the man wheezed, “Knowledge, O wise and wonderful…”

Before he could finish, Socrates pounded him under again…forty seconds passed…fifty…a minute.  “What do you want?”

“Air!…I need air!” he gasped.

And then Socrates said, “When you want knowledge as you have just wanted air, then you will have knowledge.”

When we want God like we want air—when we long for him as desperately as we long for the breath of life itself—we shall have God.

Just Saying… A.W. Tozer  “The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted.”