“So they did eat, and were filled: for He gave them their own desire.. “

– Psalm 78:29

As with the Israelites wandering the desert, so it is with men of our day as well.

The faithfulness of God is gloriously displayed all around them; identifying His invisible attributes through the things which He has created (Rom. 1:20), but they are much more concerned with the benefits of God’s faithfulness, rather than the God who is faithful.
They eat and fill themselves according to their own passions. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 Jn. 2:16) being their only guide. It is the flesh that creates a longing for some unknown pleasure, the eyes grant illumination upon their surroundings and present objects to the flesh until it finds one to satisfy it’s appetite, and the pride of life says, “come and eat, for this is your reward!”
It is such as these who exchange the glory of God for a lie and worship the creation rather than the creator (Rom. 1:23).

What is particularly noteworthy here is that the Lord ‘gave them their own desire’.
As the heart of man grows further from God He gives them up to their own pursuits; even going as far as granting them the object of their lusts.
This is a terrifying truth indeed!
And because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecc. 8:11).
There is no restraint left upon this idolatrous heart and therefore they are given over to a reprobate mind that they may do these abominable acts without the pressure of conscience (Rom. 1:28)

Provision has been made for sin and the appetite of sin is never full.
They continue to indulge in their passions; feasting on all sorts of wickedness without immediate consequence and believe that they are truly justified in their cause. All the while the wrath of God hovers above their head as a viscious funnel cloud awaiting the Masters approval to devour.
So we see with the Israelites as they greedily took their fill of quail; ‘that while their meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them..'(Ps. 78:30-31).

As a thief in the night, so comes the wrath of God upon the sinner in his sins. 

Jesus spoke in parable of a rich man whose ground brought forth plenty and in his greed he built new barns to store his bounty. He boasted in heart of his great abundance saying,
‘Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat drink and be merry.’
‘But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee…’
So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16-21).
What was this man’s sin? Was it his great many possessions? I would say no, for there have been many a wealthy man who by grace have inherited the kingdom. This man’s sin was the weight his possessions held on his soul.

Unfortunately this is the tale of many who fail to heed the warning of Hebrews 9:27. It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgement.
Death comes as a surprise to all and with it is the loss of all earthly pleasures.
What is even more solemn is that death is not an end in itself, but it is the means by which we are transported unto the judgement seat of Almighty God. As it is written they that have done good, will come unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (Jn. 5:29).

With this in mind, where do our hearts lie on this day?
Scripture tells us to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).
Are we waging war against our lusts or are they leading us like sheep to the slaughter?
Do we delight in the word of God and His commands or are they grievous to us?
Are our thoughts continually projected on the heavenlies or are they grounded on earthly pleasures and pursuits?

It is crucial, for those who name Christ as Lord, that we make our calling and election sure (2 Pet. 1:10) so that we are not those who hear on that final day, ‘depart from me, I never knew you.’ (Matt. 7:23).

The Lord makes His sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matt 5:45).

Although we may experience much good at the hand of the Lord, let that not be our only indication that we are grounded in faith and securely set upon firm foundation. 

Let us be a people rich toward God and if material wealth should come let us praise Him, and if it all be taken away let us praise Him still. For the Lord gives and He takes away, but either way, blessed be the name of the Lord.