The Desire Accomplished

 I've been glued to the NFL scouting combine this weekend. It may sound silly, but I'm fascinated by the skills these young men have, the college football players who are looking to start a professional sports career in the NFL.

Before you get worried that this will be a boring football analysis - it's not. But while watching the combine Sunday afternoon, I saw a tattoo on one young man's arm. All it said was Proverbs 13:19, with no words. Whenever I see someone with a Scriptural tattoo, I immediately look it up to see what was so important that they inked it on themselves.

The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil. Proverbs 13:19

I've read this chapter of Proverbs dozens of times (Read the corresponding Proverb for whatever day of the month it is.) and I honestly don't remember ever reading this verse. I absolutely adore it.

When you break down the first half, I understand why an athlete would choose this as a life verse.

1. The desire is for what God wants. It's not about my goals or my expectations. It's all about focusing on God's plan for my life. (My day, my week, my year.)

2. The accomplishment is supplied by God. I'm not going to achieve anything in this world under my own power. Success and accomplishments come directly from the Lord for His glory and His honor.

3. The sweetness is God's true sweetness. Sin may give pleasures for a season, but the sweetness of the Lord is all the milk and honey you can stand, overflowing into your cup. It satiates, fills and satisfies like nothing else can because it's perfect and created just for you.

4. The soul is blessed, not the flesh. This the difference between the eternal and the temporal. There's nothing better than laying up treasures in Heaven, knowing that everything you do on earth will be waiting for you down the road. That outweighs a little happiness or pleasure here.

The opposite of this beautiful picture is the second half of the verse. How sad that there are people "happy" in their sin. This seems so mediocre and so lazy. They see getting right with the Lord as "abomination" when that's exactly how God sees their sin.

This verse has special meaning for me now. I'm not an athlete, but I love the thought of God blessing me with the desires of my heart when I'm living for Him. How sweet that is to my soul!

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