“6 Now these things are warnings for us, not to desire evil as they did.”
1 Cor. 10:6
The Desires of the Heart
It is said that in tough times our true character is revealed. What we really desire in our hearts is what we really lean toward in difficult times. St. Paul reminded the Corinthians about the many ways the Israelites failed God after He delivered them from slavery. You would think being miraculously delivered from generations of bondage would give rise to a strong faith; a faith that wouldn’t backslide the minute things got tough. Not so with the Israelites, and sadly, not so with many peoples ever since. History has a sad way of repeating itself.
What about the desires of your heart? How often do you think about them? Many people get caught up in just existing from day to day. Pretty soon months turn into years and they haven’t thought about what they really desire for a very long time. All they can do is exist. If we don’t take time to fully admit to ourselves our true desires, and stay connected to them, we will drift through life without real purpose.
The Purpose of Life
The real purpose of the lives of humans hasn’t changed since we were created. We exist to glorify God through the way we live and love God, others, and His creation. But, that purpose must be passed on from one generation to the next. We aren’t born with a sense of that purpose. It is the role of godly parents and friends to teach us our purpose in life. And, the vehicle God chose through which to teach us is His church. It is as a community of people, called together with a common purpose to we discover who we are, and where we are going in this journey called life.
If we don’t know our true purpose in life, our desires will be shaped by the worldly influences around us. We see this lived out over and over again in the lives of the children of Israel. That is one of the many reasons the ancient church developed the season of Lent. Lent offers us a time for reflecting on who we are, and where we are going. In our times of prayer and fasting, our true desires are revealed. We must always concentrate on growing our desires after God’s heart.
Are You Repeating History?
The Apostle Paul knew the Corinthian people were going to drift back into their worldly culture, unless they had an anchor on which to hold. Knowing the history of God’s people, and the lessons learned were critical to spiritual formation of the Corinthians, and are still critical for us. History will repeat itself, if we don’t learn it’s lessons.
Perhaps, you have found yourself this Lent feeling burned from repeating past mistakes? As you take some time for meditation and prayer this season, look deep inside and discern your true desires in life. Think of it as a sort of spiritual checkup. If you don’t like what you see, remember, our God always promises to raise us from the ashes.
Grace & Peace for a Holy Lent,
Pastor Brad
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
Matthew 5:6