Exchanging Greatness for Mediocrity

I think we might sometimes confuse "God is good and he does good (Psalm 119:68) with "He's good so that must mean he's going to give me everything I want since I see it as good."

Our wants and our desires are not bad things.  Over and over, in God's unfailing, unchanging Word, it tells us Jesus came so we could have life and have it abundantly and that God longs to give us good gifts.
But...where our hope is tells us if we have taken a simple, good desire and turned it into a lustful, all-consuming want. 
If our hope is in this thing, this circumstance with no regard to God and his will for us overall and in this given moment, we're worshiping at the feet of a false god that will never satisfy.

I hear so often "I trust the Lord."  It's thrown out as our back-up plan.

"I trust him that I won't stumble, this time."
"I trust him to give me this because I really want it and I'm reading my Bible."
"I trust him as long as he succombs to my wants and wishes."

Yes and amen to asking the Lord.  He is the only one that tells us to petiton him.  To keep asking, to basically harass him.  I've learned though, that those things I'm pleading with him for, no matter how innocent or demure they seem on the surface (say, my dad's healing from cancer), I still need to hold them with open hands knowing that because God is good and does good, ultimately his will is good.

When you come to a crossroads, you're presented with choices.  Path A and Path B.
Choices have been from the beginning and some choices are not the wisest ones.

Think back to the garden.  God put something there that would lead to death.  Why? 

Because of his great love for us.  He loves us with a deep, unending love but he wants that love to be returned -- not because it's forced -- but because we have freedom in choosing.
How many times are choices put before us?  A relationship, a job change, a chance to make more money...

And we know, we know, Path A is not the wisest because of our bent to sin but we justify it by saying, "God is sovereign and he would not have put it there if he didn't want me to have it."

We're willing to challenge our integrity all over a simple desire that now rules us.

"We tend to thing that small allowances for sin will not make a lasting effect on our character or keep us from growing in Christ... We let small fires burn thinking the house will never turn to ash around us" (City on a Hill Study Guide, TVC).

So what are those small fires you're just managing?
What are those seemingly flickers of flames that have so clouded your judgement you can't see that in a moment they can overtake you?

If our goal, as a daughter or son of the King, is to live a life to glorify him so we might enjoy Him forever, is that what you're pursuing?
His righteousness?  His holiness?  His will?

Or are you willing to play with fire hoping the heat and smog leads to purity.