Friday, January 13, 2006

Obsession

Some related scripture and thoughts on obsession.
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Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Psalm 32:11 (NIV)

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"The chief aim of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever."
John Piper, Desiring God (Multnomah Press).

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"If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition whe infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased!"
C.S. Lewis, "The Weight of Glory" in The Weight of Glory and other Essays (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965), pp. 1-2, as quoted by John Piper in Desiring God (Multnomah Books).

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Steven Curtis Chapman, Magnificent Obsession

Lord, You know how much
I want to know so much
In the way of answers and explanations
I have cried and prayed
And still I seem to stay
In the middle of life’s complications
All this pursuing leaves me feeling like I’m chasing down the wind
But now it’s brought me back to You
And I can see again

This is everything I want
This is everything I need
I want this to be my one consuming passion
Everything my heart desires
Lord, I want it all to be for You, Jesus
Be my magnificent obsession

So capture my heart again
Take me to depths I’ve never been
Into the riches of Your grace and Your mercy
Return me to the cross
And let me be completely lost
In the wonder of the love
That You’ve shown me
Cut through these chains that tie me down to so many lesser things
Let all my dreams fall to the ground
Until this one remains

You are everything I want
And You are everything I need
Lord, You are all my heart desires
You are everything to me

You are everything I want
You are everything I need
I want You to be my one consuming passion
Everything my heart desires
Lord, I want it all to be for You
I want it all to be for You

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I think the lyrics have it right .. "Be my magnificent obsession .. I want You to be my one consuming passion."

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