Desire

"When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." (James 1:13-14)

As a woman should desire her husband, and only her husband, so we, as the church, should desire Christ, our bridegroom. In a wedding ceremony, a bride and groom commit themselves to forsake all others. We, too, should be forsaking all but our heavenly bridegroom. Our only desire should be to please him.

And like a groom with his bride, our God desires us. "Or does it seem to you that it is for nothing that the holy Writings say, The spirit which God put into our hearts has a strong desire for us?" (James 4:5) What an amazing thought is that! I, a sinner and imperfect in so many ways, am desired by the God who created the entire universe, who is Holy in all his ways! That thought alone should move me to desire him above all else.

If we are to follow Jesus, we are to give up all other desires. "If any man has the desire to come after me, let him give up all other desires, and take up his cross and come after me." (Mark 8:34)

Jesus warned us that if we are not careful, the desire for earthly things can put a stop to the growth of his word in us, causing it to bear no fruit in our lives. (Mark 4:19)

He has given us an example to follow, showing us how we should deal with our desires. When facing his death on the cross, he said, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire." (Matt. 26:39) We should turn our desires over to the Father, putting his desire for our lives above our own desires. In our lives, can we say, "not what I desire, but what you desire?"

What are the consequences of putting our own desires above those of our Heavenly Father? "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" (James 4:1) God promises peace to those who follow him, but if we follow our own desires, we get the opposite of peace - fights and quarrels. James was speaking to the church in this letter, so if we follow our own desires, it will even lead to fights and quarrels within the church.

Not only that. The ultimate price for following our own desires is death. James says that, "...each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Let us put our desires into submission to God's desires before they can give birth to sin and death in our lives.

One thing we are to desire is God's word. 1 Peter 2:2 says to "desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." If we are feeding on God's word, it will help us to know what God desires and it will help to strengthen us so that we can submit to the desire of God in our own lives.

We can also ask God for help. We are told that "it is God himself whose power creates within you the desire to do His gracious will and also brings about the accomplishment of the desire." (Phil. 2:13) Let us ask God, "create in me a desire to do your will."

God can bring our desires into alignment with his own desires. When we remain in him, and his words remain in us, we can ask whatever we desire, and it will be done for us. (John 15:7)

Help us, Father, to be like the people in Hebrews 11:16 who "desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one." I remember when I was waiting to marry Nathan, when I was still living in California, and he was living in Ohio. I remember how much I desired to move to my new home to be with him, the one I loved. Help me to have that same desire to be with you in the home you have been preparing for me in Heaven. Please fill my heart with desire for you, that I may not stray but be a faithful bride when you return.