Desire, Purpose & Intent
It is likely not a coincidence that the process that leads us into closer proximity with Christ occurs in the midst of our busy lives. Jesus' call is full of purpose - he calls us to prepare and then sends us out. He calls us not just to tell us, but also to prepare us to go tell others. God has a desire for you, but where does your desire lie? It is desire that takes us into closer proximity, but it is also desire that can often take us farther away. It is true the most spiritual people in the room are the ones that understand God's desire for their lives, but what are we doing with it? What do we desire the most?
It is likely not a coincidence that the process that leads us into closer proximity with Christ occurs in the midst of our busy lives. Jesus' call is full of purpose - he calls us to prepare and then sends us out. He calls us not just to tell us, but also to prepare us to go tell others. God has a desire for you, but where does your desire lie? It is desire that takes us into closer proximity, but it is also desire that can often take us farther away. It is true the most spiritual people in the room are the ones that understand God's desire for their lives, but what are we doing with it? What do we desire the most?
The Great Divorce
In his book, The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis gives an allegorical story about a ghost of a man consumed by lust. And in this story lust is depicted as a red lizard that sits on his shoulder and whispers seductively in his ear. When the man is bothered by this lizard on his shoulder, an angel volunteers to destroy it for him. But the man is conflicted because he wants to hold on to his lust but also wants the lizard gone. What he is afraid of is that the death of his lust will be the death of him. He offers all these excuses to the angel. After much discussion the man finally lets the angel kill the lizard. The angel grabs the lizard, breaks its neck and hurls it to the ground. Now that the spell of lust is broken the man who once ghostly is wonderfully remade into a real and solid person.
Lewis is drawing us to the bond between killing our lust and finding life. When giving into lust it feels like we are going to die without it, or it feels as if we are going to die with it. Instead of destroying us, we find a new life we never imagined. Instead of giving into desires, we begin to experience a pure desire - a God centered desire, which is birthed in us to experience the full purpose and intent of God.
The joy that comes from knowing that God isn't just saving us from our sin, but that he is up to something far more profound: God is saving us for a life of love and joy and faith and peace and self-control. Begin to desire God more than anything else and you will begin to see the entire world thru the lens of how God has wired you & where He has placed you for His glory!
Further Reading:
Mark 3:13-19; Mark 4:1-20
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler
No comments:
Post a Comment