Have we all had fun storming the castle?
I've been thinking about desire and how it relates to the supremacy of God in my life. I was listening to a lecture by John Piper yesterday and he said something very penetrating. Maybe my armor was weak over my heart and that's why it cut in so easily. I'm not sure. But he was talking about why he was a Calvinist. He said that when people think of Calvinism, they usually think of five controversial doctrinal points, the last of which is the most volatile and cold. But when Piper thinks of Calvinism, he thinks of how God's sovereignty touches everything. His main concern on a Saturday night is weeding out what he can spare. He has too much to preach on because he sees every single text as interconnected because everything in the Bible and in life connects to God. This is something I think God has been teaching me recently. Could it be possible that the Gospel fits into all the cracks? Could it be that holiness is not just intended for relationships and church and devotional moments of fervent and intimate worship? I think that holiness fits into how we buy our groceries and how we do our homework and how we lay on the couch after a hard day. I'm convinced that nothing is nonspiritual. It all falls under the umbrella of God's Word. All that to say, I've been thinking about desire lately.
What I'm now about to spill here is nothing novel. I know it's old. But it's been shrapnel in my mind. I feel that I must blame Charles Haddon Spurgeon and the apostle Peter for the nagging appetite in my head. I've been speared through the gut with this ice cold realization: Christians have forgotten what desire is for. We really have. I'm not talking about a craving for cheese cake or chocolate. I'm not talking about a desire for a spouse (although that's closer to the mark, perhaps). But when you read 1 Peter 2:2, what are your observations about nourishment and maturity? "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation (italics mine)". Craving is an essential part of spiritual growth. Desire is the hinge on which joy swings. But Christians, especially evangelicals, don't seem to realize that. Spurgeon makes the argument in his sermon "A Weighty Charge" that love is directly tied to desire. He says that a love for God can only be sustained by a desire for more of it. "O Christians, remember that you must advance or backslide. You must build higher and higher. Love must become more and more supreme in your souls or you will decline."
If we really knew what we were missing, we would be lustful and covetous after it. Love is an inferno. But if it does not consume fuel, it will die. C.S Lewis was right. We really are a half-hearted creatures. God must find our desires too weak. While we steer our cravings towards sin and self-gratification, we miss the point of our desires. Our desires were intended for God. He is the ultimate. Do we realize that at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore (Ps.16:11)? Have we tasted the sweetness of His words (Ps.119:103)? And if so, has it left us desperate for more? I'm convinced that there is no more dangerous state of mind than that of satisfaction. To be satisfied is to stay put. To remain unsatisfied is to always want to move forward, to want more. As the prophet said in Jeremiah 15:16 "Your words were found and I ate them and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts." When things delight me, I want more of it. That's why I am addicted to Dr. Pepper. It delights me. I enjoy it and so I want more of it. I am striving after the divine addiction. As dear C.H once said, "He who loves God most is happiest." Amen, Mr. Spurgeon. Amen.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
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