What Is Your Heart's Desire

Tonight I was reading in Romans and I stopped at Romans 10:1.
Here Pauls says, "Brothers and sisters, my heqrt's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved."

It caused me to take a hard look at my life.

I asked myself, "Dave, what is your heart's desire?" For a long time it was to not have to be a bi-vocational pastor, so that I could devote myself full time to the work the Lord has given me. Now, there is nothing wrong with that. The Lord has given me a church to pastor, and I am to teach and to lead them as they journey on this road of faith.

Paul too had brothers and sisters he taught and led. He wrote letters to the churches about doctrine, about things they had right and things they had wrong. He wrote to those who he had mentored, and reccomended brothers and sisters as co-laborers in the work of the Lord.

And yet here he states that his heart's desire is to see his fellow Israelites saved.

I realized that my passion for the lost had slipped away somewhere on this journey of faith. I had misplaced it with study, teaching and preaching. All of those things are good and necessary, but they will all be done so much better once I get to glory.

Sharing my faith, leading people to the Lord is the only thing that has to be done now, before we get to eternity. I wonder how many believers will step into eternity, never having shared their faith in Jesus and never having led one person to the Lord. And then it will be too late. Too late for them to experince this, and too late for those who they did not take the time to share with.

Pray for me in this area. I am spending this weekend in prayer for the lost. For some specific friends and relatives, and for a boldness in my life to take the gospel wherever I go. I want not just boldness, but wisdom, kindness and compassion as well.

Don't get me wrong. I love pastoring. I love teaching the Word of God. I love preaching. But I have never had an experience that equals what it is like when you have the privledge and honor of leading someone to faith in Jesus.

I'ts time I get back in the battle. Maybe it is time for you too.

I close with the lyrics from a song by Steve Camp; Run To The Battle.

Run To The Battle

Some people want to live
Within the sound of chapel bells
But I want to run a mission
A yard from the gates of Hell
And with everyone you meet
I'll take them the gospel and share it well
And look around you as you hesitate
For another soul just fell

Let's run to the battle
Run to the battle

Do you have your armor on
We're in the middle of a raging war
We've been training for so long
Have we learned to use His sword?
We may not be ready
But we serve a mighty Lord
And He's made us more than conquerors
So what are you waiting for?

Let's run to the battle
We got to run, run to the battle

He has trampled down the enemy
And has given us the victory
When we pray we learn to see
That His army
We are marching on our knees

There'll be times when we grow weak
Let's keep our faith alive
Let your faces shine with glory
For He's helped us to survive
And in that final hour
When you feel like you're ready to die
Will you hear the trumpet sound
Will you hear the warrior cry

Run to the battle
We got to run, run to the battle

Ok, so there's that
Pastor Dave