July 14, 2025 
The Christian’s grand ambition
(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Psalm 42:1-2, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God!”
What the Christian longs for, is that he may so approach the Lord as to feel himself to be a friend of God, and know that God’s love is most surely his own.
Oh, the sweetness of knowing that there is nothing between God and you, but friendship and love; that all the sad and sinful past is forgiven and even blotted out of the Lord’s remembrance; and that now you may speak to Him without fear and trust in Him without dread.
Atonement has removed His righteous wrath and brought His boundless love. Now you may come and lie in His bosom for it is your Father’s bosom; and hide under the shadow of His wing for it is your Father’s wing, and it will cover you from all harm even as a hen covers her chicks. It is the prelude of Heaven to feel that:
“The God that rules on high,
And thunders when He please,
Who rides upon the stormy sky,
And manages the seas;
This awesome God is mine!”
All of His power is for my protection,
all of His wisdom is for my direction,
all of His tenderness is for my consolation,
all of His truth is for my encouragement,
all of His grandeur is for my ennobling, and
all the infinity of His nature is for my eternal glorification.
The Christian’s grand ambition is to walk with God, and to dwell in communion with Him. He longs to abide in Him, to be forever God’s beloved, and to become daily more and more conformed to Him.
“Whom have I in Heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!” Psalm 73:25-26
iChristian 
Do you remember that old chorus, “As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after Thee”? I think we find it hard to remember God’s goodness and grace because we’re so busy we forget what we really need–it’s Him. He is our Sufficiency, Strength, Shield. We can get so busy doing for Jesus that we forget He didn’t save us to work for Him but to be loved by Him and let that love flow from us to others. Love this, Steve.
Amen Dayle! Yes it’s so easy to keep doing and not being in His presence. Yes I know that old chorus…And me and Sarah play ‘As the deer pants for the water’ by Robin Mark. It’s a beautiful hymn and to sing it out to the Lord is glorious! 🙏 😀