Ashes vs. God's will

Whatever You Acquire Outside Of God’s Will Eventually Turns To Ashes.
Charles Stanley Life Principle Bible pg 966

Ezekiel 25:6-7

Some people think that God’s refusal to give them some cherished need would be the worst thing that could ever happen to them. They think life would truly disappoint them if some urgent desire of theirs should go unmet.

So they pursue their desire, either in opposition to God’s will or in disregard of it—and end up truly disappointed, even if they get what they think they wanted. They remind me of the Israelites in Moses’ day who insisted on meat and got it: “He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul” (Psalm 106:15).

G.K. Chesterton said, “There are two ways to get enough: One is to accumulate more and more, the other is to desire less.”

While you can always accumulate more things, more relationships, and more success, there will always be room for more. And when there’s room for more, there’s room for wanting more. The cycle never ends.
If you choose the second route of Chesterton’s advice, “to desire less,” the likelihood of living a fulfilling life increases. But how does one simply want less?

By going back to the one desire present in every human heart: to know God.

You may not understand this longing as a desire for God; you may simply feel dissatisfaction with your life. Maybe the relationship you wanted and attained isn’t everything you thought it would be. Perhaps you have everything you’d ever wanted, yet still go through periods of longing, sadness and loneliness.
There is always more to be uncovered about God. We will never “get to the bottom” of Him while we live on earth. But once we enter into a relationship with the Lord, He promises to reveal more of Himself to us as we fellowship with Him. Hosea 2:19, 20 says, “I will betroth you to Me forever. Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice. In lovingkindness and mercy I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the LORD.”

To “fellowship” with God—to talk to Him and listen to Him as you study the Bible—is to get to know Him better. He has “betrothed” (or engaged) His people to Himself for one reason: to let Himself be known.

When you discover something about God that you have never recognized, the proverbial light bulb illuminates your heart and mind, giving you a greater desire to know more—and leave your fleshly desires behind.

As we test the waters of worldly desire, only to find ourselves drowning in them, God’s loyalty to us shines. As we find the things we acquire outside of His will turn to ashes, He rescues us and restores our desire for Him alone.

Glimpsing one of God’s characteristics in His Word, and then seeing it come to life through our experiences deepens:

• Our humility. As we see God’s sovereignty unveiled, we more deeply understand our need for Him.

• Our gratitude. Knowing that God’s lovingkindness motivates His forgiveness, deliverance, and guidance, gives us thankful heart. Instead of coming to God with complaints about our unfulfilled, selfish desires, we come to Him with adoration and praise.

• Our hunger. When the Holy Spirit sheds new light on an old verse (one we’ve read many times), our quest for more gets stronger. Our appreciation of God’s Word gives us a more profound delight in studying and applying its truth.

• Our reverence. Learning something new about our Creator reminds us that we don’t know everything about Him. As we come to terms with the depths and heights of God, our awe of Him grows.

• Our desire to please God. When we have a right, holy, respectful fear of the Lord, our wants change from satisfying ourselves to satisfying our God. Pleasing Him is not a chore; rather it becomes a joy done out of humility and thankfulness.

Amazingly, as we pursue our desire for God, He fulfills the other desire He has given us (Psalm 37:4) And so we learn afresh that while acquiring anything outside of His will leaves dust in our mouths, He desires to fill us with “pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16).