Least We Can Do Is Desire God

^{PSALM 73}

²¹ When my heart was grieved
   and my spirit embittered,
²² I was senseless and ignorant;
   I was a brute beast before you.

 ²³ Yet I am always with you;
   you hold me by my right hand.
²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
   and afterward you will take me into glory.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
   And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 
²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail, 
   but God is the strength of my heart 
   and my portion forever.

The tendency we have as humans is to be selfish. This is true especially when times are tough. "Why me?," we ask. Self righteousness slips in... how come all these other people are fine? Why don't they suffer like me, struggle like me, etc.? In this respect, many or most of us can relate to Asaph in the beginning of this Psalm.

But Asaph is able to fight through the weakness of his mind and the selfishness of his flesh because deep down, at his core (his least), he knows that God is all he desires. Because this is true for him, it does not matter what happens. As long as he near to God, he would be alright.

What else do you desire? How does that compare when you place it "beside" God?

<< Psalm 73:25 >>

New International Version (©1984) Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.New Living Translation (©2007) Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. English Standard Version (©2001) Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. New American Standard Bible (©1995) Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.) Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010) Whom do I have in Heaven with you and whom have I desired in the Earth? For you have held my right hand. GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995) As long as I have you, I don't need anyone else in heaven or on earth. King James 2000 Bible (©2003) Whom have I in heaven but you? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides you. American King James Version Whom have I in heaven but you? and there is none on earth that I desire beside you. American Standard Version Whom have I in heaven but thee ? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. Douay-Rheims Bible For what have I in heaven? and besides thee what do I desire upon earth? Darby Bible Translation Whom have I in the heavens? and there is none upon earth I desire beside thee. English Revised Version Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. Webster's Bible Translation Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. World English Bible Who do I have in heaven? There is no one on earth who I desire besides you. Young's Literal Translation Whom have I in the heavens? And with Thee none I have desired in earth.

The Least We Can Do is Fear God or...

I sat with a group of college aged students a couple of years ago and as we studied some of the wisdom books of the Bible someone made the comment, "I think that's the problem, I think we don't really fear God any more."

Interesting insight. We believe God exists. We maintain a sense of there being something bigger than ourselves out there. We say we fear (respect) Him... but our lives don't always reflect an awe or respect... let alone a fear of Him.

Others use fear as a reason to stay away from God. Fear is their excuse. Actually and consequently fear has become their god.

So many of these "least we can do" posts focus on action we can take. Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10 and 15:33 all indicate the the fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of wisdom and knowledge and understanding. How can we grow in Him and be pleasing to Him if we are not growing in these things?

Right??? Weigh in.... here are some Scriptures to consider:


^{Ecclesiastes 12
13} Now all has been heard; 
   here is the conclusion of the matter: 
Fear God and keep his commandments, 
   for this is the whole duty of man. 
¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment, 
   including every hidden thing, 
   whether it is good or evil.

Isaiah 33

⁵ The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; 
   he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. 
⁶ He will be the sure foundation for your times, 
   a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; 
   the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. 

BUT...John's first letter tells us that perfect love casts out fear (4:18) and that we can approach the throne of God with confidence (5:13-15) even when our hearts condemn us.

The Least We Can Do is Tip Well

I've talked to a couple of waiters over the past couple of years and have heard questions asked of them on the radio etc. about the crowds that they dread seeing coming. I love of the servers at restaurants are not big fans of their pre-teen and teenage customers. These young people often don't take things like tax and tip into account so if they can manage to pay their bill, tips are rare. The other groups that is most disliked? Christians who stop into the restaurant after church on Sunday. The servers reported that these people tend to have the most unusual demands, most complaints and are the worst tippers. How sad is that?

I love to tip. Tipping is a great way we can give without getting thanked for it. Your server will not know what you left for them, usually, until you're gone. At that point they can get frustrated and think bad thoughts about you or they can pocket your cash and think, "I hope they come in again."


Jesus says, "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." Luke 16:9


and in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Paul writes:

 ¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.


If you are rich enough to go out to eat then you are rich enough to leave a nice tip for whoever waits on you. Its the least we can do...