I’ve been learning a lot lately about the desires of my heart. I’m amazed at the intensity of human cravings/desires in general. We all have them. We’re like appetite machines from the time we’re born. And even if the Bible didn’t confirm it, it’s obvious that we are born worshippers. Everybody worships something. In the Old and New Testaments non-Jews (and some Jews) worshipped statues of their man-made gods. Many people in the world still do this, but most Americans don’t. We’re more sophisticated than that. We don’t worship statues, we worship (passionately desire more than anything) money, career, food, sex, drugs, body (fitness), sports, celebrities, tv/entertainment, relationships, family, or many other things. When I think back to my teenage years, it’s easy to identify my heart’s cravings:
1. Love and attention (basically I worshipped “me” - and looked to
guys and people in general to meet this craving)
2. Beauty (ultimately hoping if I were beautiful, it would bring more of #1)
3. Man’s praise (which is really just another way of saying #1 - (self-worship)
4. Entertainment (t.v., movies - distractions from the stress of real life)
These things are not bad in themselves. It’s the intense craving for these things that made them wrong. And as I moved into adulthood, they remained pretty much the same, but “food” was also added to the list. Only in the past 9 years has God really opened my eyes to my sin and the absolute deficiency of all of these things, and the worthiness, beauty and satisfaction of Jesus Christ. In recent years I have (with increasing joy) come to see the Truth of Philippians 3:8:
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
I haven’t suffered the loss of all things as the Apostle Paul did, but as I read, hear and study God’s Word, I increasingly understand the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, and that He truly is worth suffering the loss of all things for. Fifteen years ago I would have thought (but not said) that reading my Bible and going to church were boring. I did them out of duty, not desire.
When Nicodemus (a religious ruler of the Jews) went to Jesus and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him,” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Knowing, following and loving Jesus (being a Christian) isn’t about knowing some facts about Him, following rules or going to church, it’s about being born again by God’s Spirit, having our eyes opened and our hearts changed, coming to Jesus by faith and growing in our understanding of Him, and our love and desire for Him. It’s gradual for sure, and I still struggle with these competing desires, but more and more I’m seeing Christ as the Treasure that He is.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” - Matthew 13:44
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"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." - Ephesians 2:8
