My Heart's Desire
Today’s Verse:
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. ~Romans 10:1
What is the one thing that you would like to see accomplished in your lifetime? As a Jew by race, Paul had a very great passion for all of Israel to be saved. Paul called it his "heart’s desire." This morning, let us examine Paul’s desire for the salvation of his people.
We see the blindness.
The nation of Israel was steeped in its ceremonial laws, feasts, and traditions. Much of the nation had a very difficult time grasping the concept of salvation by grace through faith. They would not accept that righteousness with God could only be attained through faith in Christ alone. They were stubbornly blinded to their need for salvation through Christ.
We see the burning.
Paul had a burning passion for the salvation of Israel. He was one of them! He was as blind as they were until the day when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He understood all of the challenges that the Jews had. Thus, he gave his life for the purpose of seeing Jews saved. It burned in his heart, day and night. He lived as a man with an insatiable thirst for Israel to come to the knowledge of the truth. He endured afflictions, hardships, and sufferings so that souls could be saved. This burning passion kept him going day and night. It fueled his vision for starting churches and influencing every Jewish community with the gospel.
We see the begging.
Paul made it his daily, incessant prayer for Israel to be saved. He prayed for open doors. He prayed for open hearts. He prayed for an audience with dignitaries. He prayed for religious leaders to be saved. He prayed for the nation to let go of its sinful pride and have faith in the shed blood, death, and resurrection of Christ. He woke up in the middle of the night to pray for them. He spent entire evenings praying for them. He begged God, until his last breath, for the Jews to be saved!
We see the benchmark.
Paul’s desire sets a precedent and a worthy benchmark for us to follow. How are we going to reach the masses of people unless we have the kind of desire that Paul had? How are we going to see more churches planted unless we have this same intensity? Paul’s benchmark is a game-changer in a soulwinning ministry. It’s the difference between doing your best and working at status quo. We are not doing the best that we can for the Lord unless we can say like Paul, “My heart’s desire and prayer for my country is that they might be saved.”
What is the one thing that you desire to see more than anything else before you leave this life? Is it the salvation of loved ones? Is it the salvation of lost souls in the community? Is it your Sunday School class exploding with souls being saved and added to the church? Consider Paul’s passion, and allow a similar desire to change your life!
Have a passionate God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Numbers 18-20