What are the treasures of this world? What do we desire more
than anything else? How do we go about achieving these things that we want? How
do these wants affect us? Do these wants hurt us or help us? Moreover, why do we want these things? Is it
because society tells us to want? Is it because our parents tell us to want?
Or, is it more? Maybe an insatiable urge that we are created with, a desire for
something more, a craving that goes unfulfilled the more we try to fill it with
the wants of the world.
I have been convicted recently about the verse from Psalms
73:25 that states, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.” I want to be in that place where I
allow everything to come under the power of God—all relationships, things, and
successes. I want to truly be able to offer my earthly desires to God with an
open hand. Instead, I find myself longing after God, but “secretly” keeping my
true desires in a closed fist behind my back. (As if God doesn’t know that I’m
hiding them from Him!)
So, what does it take? How can I truly live in the state of
being content in the Lord and not hold back anything from Him, trusting that He
will give me the good things and take away those things that will eventually
harm me?
I think the Apostle Paul had it figured out to the best of
his human ability when he wrote in Philippians 3:8, “I consider everything a loss compared to the
surpassing greatness of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
Two things stand out to me from his statement:
1. First, we must focus on knowing Jesus. As humans, built with senses of longing, it is not
natural for us to abandon the desires of the world. It is not as easy as simply
saying, “Well, I don’t want that anymore. Jesus, it’s me and you and I’ll never
want another thing again.” Only when we truly begin to know Jesus can we start to release our grip on the things of this
world. When we start to understand who He is, then the world fades in
comparison to His very nature.
2. Second, the more we know Jesus and the treasure that He
is, the easier it is for us to move forward, pushing earthly desires aside
because we know how great Jesus is. The goal
becomes an overwhelming desire to know
Jesus more fully. Then, our desire that always seemed famished begins to be
fulfilled as we turn the aching of our hearts to the true Healer. For truly it
is the love of Jesus that begins to fill the emptiness in our hearts that we
sought to fill with shopping trips, cars, mansions, or relationships.
Now, the question is, when will I be finished with this
process? The answer…never. NEVER???
Even if we had a thousand lifetimes to live, we would constantly be learning
about who God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are. Their very essences are
completely beyond the grasp of our human minds. Can you say that about the
video game system gathering dust in the corner of your room? Or how about the
three new outfits that will be out of style this time next year? Nothing aside
from God will hold our interest or puzzle us as deeply as the infinite depths
of God’s character.
Even when our hearts and bodies fail, may we know that God is the very strength of our hearts and exactly the portion we need forever and always (paraphrase, Psalm 73:26).
