{ Day 246 }

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. —Philippians 3:8-9

Mary of Bethany, the apostle Paul, and David’s mighty men all found the secret of a focused life. They tapped into the glory and pleasure of giving themselves to one thing. God invites each of us to do the same and to give ourselves wholeheartedly to Him. We can stand with these so-called giants of the faith. The key to sustaining our intense desire to be fully given to God is to have fresh encounters with His heart. We must equip or train our hearts to actually walk out the wholeheartedness that we so intensely desire. This equipping of the heart is best found in intimacy. Our intense desire to be radical for God will be sustained with regular experiences of God’s heart—intimacy sustains intensity.

{ PRAYER STARTER }

Give me a heart of extravagant devotion to You, like Mary. Let me count everything as loss in my pursuit of You, like Paul. Let me be a person after Your own heart, like David. Let me live in intimate fellowship with You, dear Lord.

We can be people after God’s own heart!