“Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.”” (Hebrews 6:11-12 NLT)
Desires, even for believers, range somewhat due to our level of spiritual maturity, age, stage in life, and many other factors. What I desired at 17 when I first gave my life to the Lord looks a lot different than the things I most desire today. Yet, on the other hand, there are still similarities.
What drew me to the Lord then and holds me on course today, was and is a desire to be free of sin and to be in a right relationship with Jesus. My greatest desire is to please God and walk in harmony with His will for me, but therein lies the question: What does that look like? What does it mean to please God and to walk in harmony with His will?
Granted, there are similarities for each of us who bear His name. Obedience. Submission to His authority in and over our lives. Willingness to love Him with our whole heart, mind, soul, and body, and to love others as we love ourselves. But realistically, that can look different in the life of a new believer and a veteran saint; a young unmarried and a middle-aged married person; a retiree and someone just starting their career.
Stages of life can shift how desires manifest themselves, but at their core, our desires should always focus on what pleases and honors God, not just ourselves. Intimacy with the Lord is certainly among my strongest desires in this season of my life, but true intimacy flows out of obedient surrender, doing what pleases and honors the Lord regardless of how I might feel about it.
What’s important to the Lord must be important to me; thus, dictating policy in my life to conform to what pleases Him. We must consider the basics to see what’s most important to the Lord. From the beginning of time God chose to create beauty and order. Everything had a purpose; nothing was random or haphazard. Oceans flowed within their set boundaries, the sun, moon, and stars all follow the course of their Creator. Animals and wildlife operate within the guidelines of their instincts and abilities.
Only man was given freedom of choice, but why? Because love is meaningless without the option to receive or deny it, and the greatest gift God gave us as human beings is the gift of relationship – with each other and with Him. The Bible says in John 15:13: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” But how? What does “Laying down our life” look like in 2025?
It looks the same as it did when the words were written, denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Him (Matthew 16:24). The reason Jesus died wasn’t so we could stay the same, but in order that we might be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). When did that begin? When someone introduced us to Jesus!
J. C. Ryle wrote: “Happy indeed is that Church whose members not only desire to reach heaven themselves, but desire also to take others with them.” As great as it is to be secure in our salvation, it pales in comparison to helping others find their salvation. When our intimacy with and joy in Jesus translates into brokenness over the lostness of our loved ones, neighbors, friends, co-workers, classmates, and others in our spheres of influence, our desire for God will increase exponentially with our desire to see others come to know Him. To know Jesus and not want to share Him is an oxymoron.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 