The panting hart seeks water. The panting heart seeks God. The pilgrim seeks a city beyond this life.

“For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come” (Hebrews 13:14).

My Spanish Bible calls it a permanent city. I am not set up for an unchanging stay on planet Earth. I am passing through on my way to God’s eternal city.

I have no interest in laying up treasures here. Why should I? My permanent residence is not here anyway.

But how does one go about seeking that city which is to come?

One of the first steps must be to seek God and His righteousness. Live for God. Learn to know His heart. Pursue what interests Him. Do what He wants done. Use what I own to accomplish His mission.

Now there was a fellow without a panting heart! In the KJV he’s called a profane person.

“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau…” (Hebrews 12:16).

Profane — that sounds terribly bad. Ungodly makes a good synonym.

From the rest of the verse I learn why God put such an awful label on Esau.

“…who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.”

His spiritual heritage, his covenant right meant little to him — worth as much as a good supper.

Later, though, he developed a panting heart. Alas, too much later.

I don’t want to have an Esau heart. I want a panting hart’s heart!