MORNING MANNA 1-13-24
DELIGHT
Man’s great desire is delight. His great dread is disappointment. Yet, try as he might, disappointments are sure to come – often with great distress. After all, having your dreams dashed to pieces is painful.
So, how do we deal with disappointments? I think I’m safe in saying “Usually not very well”. And that raises a question “Why?”.
Perhaps the first potential problem is attempting to deal with everything that disappoints us. If we aren’t careful we can run ourselves ragged and worry ourselves sick trying to prevent, change, or fix everything that displeases us. The truth is, we can’t control, change, or correct everything, and we need to learn to live with such things as they are.
Secondly, another mistake we make is that of assuming that anything that disappoints us is harmful rather than helpful, bad rather than good. We seem to forget that we don’t always know what is best for us. Fact is, we aren’t that smart. Jer. 10:23 “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps”.
The third problem is the assertion of pride that our ideas are good when they aren’t, and that we deserve more than what we have. Many feel “short-changed”- deprived of what they think they deserve. They go through life feeling they are superior and that the world owes them. Then when they don’t get what they desire they are disappointed, and that can lead to difficulties that we should dread. That’s the product of pride.
The point is, we go through life suffering the consequences until we deal with our pride. We need a wake-up call to the fact that we don’t deserve anything good. The best man on earth is a rotten sinner, deserving of everlasting punishment in a devil’s hell. It is only by God’s grace that we have or do anything good. We owe it to God’s grace that our heart beats, we can take another breath, have food to eat, and a roof over our head.
We will never be at peace until we acknowledge our sinfulness and God’s grace! The next time you take a breathe of air, or a bite of food, remember it was by grace. Those who refuse will continue to deal with disappointments. The only solution is to repent and trust Christ. He never disappoints! “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”- Psa.37:4. Think about it! – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
Humble, Tx
