Desire the Substance of Jesus

“²For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.”

— Isaiah 53:2 (ESV)

According to the above, Jesus was nothing astonishing to behold growing up or even as an adult. He was just a regular guy that was as noted, not of desire. Yet He was so great for us and brought us so much even at His earthly expense.

I think that it is interesting in that Jesus is portrayed as a striking and good looking man. To the eyes now, it would seem that people may have flocked to Him based to some degree on His appearance. And when I think of it, there must have been something about Him as He was recognized by the people when He was out in public view.

I know that the appearance of someone is easier to explain. And let’s face it, following someone who is not remarkably looking or visually is not the way to win people over. So to the eye, Jesus must be made to be appealing to draw us in.

But, it is not the outward appearance that we should be desiring when it comes to Jesus. His outward beauty will do nothing for us. Just like the outward beauty of man or woman is not the thing we should be drawn to. It is the substance of Jesus that we should desire.

In His ministry, Jesus was recognized in the public, not for His beauty, but for who He was. He was seen as carrying Himself different, walking different, and just being different. He was seen for His work and being and I like to believe that others could see the aura of God in Him.

I am going to make a comparison although it is not meant for anything other than the idea to help with understanding. Ever hear or see the “glow” of a woman with child. There is something about a pregnant woman that emanates a “glow”. People just know that she is different. I believe Jesus to be similar only bigger than this. There is something about Him without even knowing Him intimately that all can “see”.

This difference is the substance of Jesus and not His appearance. This is where our desire should be. We should be in desire for the substance of Jesus and not the appearance of Him.

What do you desire? Are you looking out for the appearances to desire? What if you looked to the substance of Jesus and placed your desire on His love?

Rejoice in Fulfilled Desire

We are, as I have read, learned, and remembered during my study of the word “desire”, to desire the LORD and if there is something other than Him, it should be wisdom. Our fascination with things of this world is not sustainable as it will be gained and lost in the blink of an eye. The desire of the LORD and of wisdom are forever. The LORD has been and will be forever. Wisdom is gained and allows for continued growth and understanding.

“¹⁹A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.”

— Proverbs 13:19 (ESV)

Here we find the direction as to the fulfillment of desire. We are to relish in the fulfillment as it is “sweet to the soul”. So, taking in that we are to desire the LORD and wisdom, what a great thing to know that the LORD and wisdom are “sweet to the soul”. And it is true.

The LORD loves, cares for, guides, and protects us. He provides for our every need and even blesses us beyond those needs. He is the one constant that can be counted on in this world. He is there always and will not turn away.

Likewise with wisdom. With wisdom we can see and adjust to that which is presented. Knowing that what is can be changed with a little understanding is so amazing.

Bryson, my oldest son, commented to me a while back that I was the smartest person he knew. Now, I know that there are many people who are smarter than I am and Bryson likely knows those people as well. But, for him to recognize that I have something inside me, wisdom, is certainly fantastic in my eyes.

Here we have desire that is or will be fulfilled, the LORD and wisdom. I have received the LORD through my acceptance of the salvation gift He offered. I have experience in this world that leads to wisdom and understanding. For each of these I rejoice as they are “sweet to the soul”. I have and will continue to gain from these desires being fulfilled and will continue seeking them as I go.

What desire do you have? Are you aware of the impact of the fulfillment of those desires? What is the difference in the long term gain from those desires compared to the fulfillment of the desire for the LORD and wisdom, and are they worth your rejoicing?

Desire Wisdom, Nothing Else Compares

“⁷And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. ⁹Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” – 1 Kings 3:7-9 (ESV)

King Solomon prayed for wisdom. He knew that without wisdom, all else was futile without wisdom to start things off. And the LORD granted him his request as it came from the heart and was in the interest of doing God’s work.

Here we have an example of asking for something that is to be used to further God’s kingdom and yet, we in the now, continue to ask for monetary or fleeting things.

“¹³Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,

and the one who gets understanding,

¹⁴for the gain from her is better than gain from silver

and her profit better than gold.

¹⁵She is more precious than jewels,

and nothing you desire can compare with her.”

— Proverbs 3:13-15 (ESV)

Nothing we desire, beyond the relationship with Christ, will compare to wisdom. It is wise to desire the relationship with Christ which leads to all other things.

Solomon had it right in his prayer to the LORD for wisdom. When granted, it allowed him to do the work of the LORD in not just a moment, but for the long haul. And that is what I am looking for, the information and ability to do the work for the long haul.

This morning I have reflected on the work I am doing for the LORD and realized that I have completed eight years of Trevor’s Thoughts. I have done well to study God’s Word diligently over that time and subsequently sharing my thoughts as I do. This study has not been about growing monetarily, or in some physical way, but growing in the LORD. I have learned so much over this time and yet still have so much more to learn. I am looking for that which will sustain me over time and not just feed me today. I am seeking wisdom and not just knowledge. Nothing else that I could desire compares to what I have and will gain from the LORD and the wisdom He grants me.

What are you seeking? Are you desiring to gain from the monetary or the world? What if you were to seek wisdom, knowing that all other desires will gain little?

The LORD Fulfills Our Desire

Yes.

“¹⁸The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

¹⁹He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.”

— Psalm 145:18-19 (ESV)

The LORD is here for and gives to those who love and are devoted to Him. He hears our cry and desires and answers the call. Can any of us say that about those in the world. Think about it. You cry out, is there a person in this world that will always come running. You have a desire, is there a person in this world that will fulfill it. The LORD does, every time.

There are times that I cry out and, nothing. I really want something and, it does not come. Before we get into specifics about how you feel as though you are left hanging, even in the LORD, remember that everything is in His timing and plan. We are simply here to work the plan the LORD has for us and remain steadfast as we wait on Him. When I cry out or really want something, in either case, it is likely that it is not in His plan. Or, He will provide the resolution, just not right now, when I feel as though I should have it.

The LORD is there for me and will ensure that I am provided for. Look at the above and first part of the below verses and see the love that is in Him toward us, His children. Know that the LORD is always with us. He fulfills all that we need when we call out to Him from our hearts.

“²⁰The Lord preserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.”

— Psalm 145:20 (ESV)

And then there is the second part to the above verse. He will destroy all who are against Him. He hears and fulfills the desires of His heirs and all those who are not, they will be dealt with in due time.

The LORD is our provider. He will give to us all that we need in the time we need it. Even our desires. When we are in the LORD, our desires will be centered on Him and His glory. We will cry out to Him and He will hear us. He will save us and deliver our desire when we are fully devoted to Him.

Where is the LORD in your life? Are you calling to Him in hopes that He might deliver you? What if you called out knowing He would deliver you and your desire thanks to the devotion you have in Him?

The LORD Hears Our Desire

I have to believe that no matter the circumstances, the LORD hears my desire. He knows what is in my heart.

“¹⁷O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

¹⁸to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”

— Psalm 10:17-18 (ESV)

I am the afflicted. I am oppressed. It may not seem as such based on the world we live in today, but it is true. All who are devoted to following the LORD are or will be persecuted. I need the LORD to get through this world and all of the evil that is presented in it. The evil one is there continually and is looking for any moment to divert me away from the LORD. Whether it is in public, in the media, in private, evil is there lurking and waiting.

“¹⁶The Lord is king forever and ever;

the nations perish from his land.”

— Psalm 10:16 (ESV)

It is in the LORD that I find refuge. The LORD knows my desire. He knows it is difficult. He knows I need to rule over it. And this is the reason He hears my desire. I must desire Him and when I do, He hears my desire and comforts me. He protects me. He guides me. He loves me. He is king.

Where is your desire? Are you desiring in the world? What if you were to desire the LORD and allow Him to comfort you, protect you, guide you, and love you?

Desire the LORD

My recent study of the word “desire” has yielded that desire creates difficulty and that we have to rule over desire. This morning I am continuing the study and found that we should be desiring the LORD. If desire is difficult and I have to rule over it, then my immediate question is as to why would I accept desire for the LORD.

Well, here we go. Desire is hard and I have to rule over it, but I also have to remember the saying, “anything worth having is worth fighting for”. The LORD is certainly worth having and therefor He is worth fighting for. In fact, the LORD is the only desirable that gives back unconditionally. What He offers us is Love and salvation in return for our love and devotion to Him. He will provide all that we need in all situations and once we have completed the tasks He has for us, we will be granted rest.

“¹⁴They swore an oath to the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. ¹⁵And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.” – 2 Chronicles 15:14-15 (ESV)

What is an oath? Merriam-Webster Online defines an oath as: a (1): a solemn usually formal calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says (2): a solemn attestation of the truth or inviolability of one’s words b: something (such as a promise) corroborated by an oath

An oath being a sincere commitment to action is just what the people of Judah were doing. They were fully committed and desired the LORD. They gave themselves fully to Him and the action of finding Him. And because of this oath and desire, they found Him and were rewarded with rest once they did.

When we desire things of this world, we may find them, yet they are limited in what they give us in return. What is the fight for if there is nothing to be had in return. Well with the LORD, we receive a return for the work done. The fight yields a result that is fully worth having, rest and glory in heaven.

I choose to desire the LORD. I will fight for Him. I will work for Him. I will love Him. I am fully committed to Him. I will spread His word, regardless of the consequences in this world. My reward is not of this world and is fully worth it all.

What do you desire? Are you fully committed to the thing that you desire even knowing that the reward is minimal and not much if anything will be received in return? What if you desired the LORD and committed yourself to Him for the reward of rest and glory that comes when you are united with Him?

Rule Over Desire

“⁶The Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? ⁷If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.’” – Genesis 4:6-7 (ESV)

Again with the difficulty that is created from desire. This time sin is in the way of our moving forward. Seems to me that in order to conquer, I have to conquer desire. I have to learn of contentment and know that God will provide just what I need when I need it.

I have watched the streaming series “Lucifer”. The main character, Lucifer, engages with others and gets them to disclose secrets by exploring their “greatest desire”. This “greatest desire” is the thing that is at the back of mind always. Allowing it to come to the for of the mind and acting on it is where things go terribly wrong. In the case of Cain and Abel, it was the desire to be accepted that caused Cain to kill his brother Abel. Cain allowed desire to rule over him instead of the other way around as the LORD spoke of with him.

Too often we allow desire to get in the way. We allow it to rule over us. We become blind to all else around in our search to satisfy that desire. And that is again what brings on the difficulty. I have to rule over the desire and put it away. I have to demonstrate contentment with what I have and where I am. The LORD provides that which is needed in the time that it is needed. He does not leave us out there alone. We are to seek Him and His ways, not our own.

What does desire lead to in you? Are you allowing desire to rule over you? What if you ruled over desire and sought God and Him only, knowing that He will provide for your needs just when you need them?

Desire Creates Difficulty

Is there anything wrong with desiring something? I would not think so on the surface as it seems that desiring, or having a goal would be the way to go. After all, should we not have aspirations to achieve greater things.

“¹⁶To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;

in pain you shall bring forth children.

Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,

but he shall rule over you.”

— Genesis 3:16 (ESV)

This morning as I begin a new study on the word “desire”, I start out in Genesis and the fall of Adam and Eve. Here I see that based on the disobedience of the two of them, there were consequences. Yes, the one that we really look at mostly is that now they have seen good and evil and have been removed from the garden as a result of their sin against God. And, there is the beginning of sin for the rest of the world. But there was more.

Looking into the above verse, and with regard to the word desire, I have found difficulty. Thanks to the sin of the woman (she had not been named yet), she would seek things that are different than Adam and would have to understand that Adam would “rule over” her.

Now, depending on the Bible version you are looking at, you may see the word “for” as opposed to “contrary to”. This tripped me up a bit this morning as well. It is not until you look to the statement of ruling over that you realize the conflict between the two. That conflict is based on the desires of the two. The conflict is the difficulty in the relationship. They had been together for a while and all was working out great. Then there was the fall that created a wedge between them and God. In consequence for that wedge, there would also be a conflict between the two (man and woman) going forward. She would “desire” to go one way and he another.

This “desire” was the thing that began or created the difficulty. Man and woman would forever be seeking different things. You may have heard of or read the book “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus” by John Gray. Now I am not going to get into the book except to say that even the title says it all. Man and woman are vastly different and that difference is the reason for the difficulty in the relationships. Prior to sin, man and woman were partners and companions and helpers to one another working together in the garden for the glory of God. They were there working to attain one goal. And then the fall, and now man and woman sought different things.

I think of my relationship with Lori and over the past 28 years, we have had our ups and downs, and we certainly have different desires. Our marriage is not easy, but it is worth it. We know one another well and as such, we move in sync a lot of the time. But that desire difference is always there and it does and will forever create difficulty that we have to work through. And work is it. Desire creates difficulty that has to be worked through. I have to remember that Lori and I are different and that we have to continue working through things daily.

Whether relationships or aspirations for other things, desire creates difficulty. The old saying “anything worth having is worth fighting for”, certainly applies. Desiring things and achieving them is not easy. There are challenges that will arise and in order to achieve, one has to get through the challenges. Know that your desire will likely be different or “contrary to” someone else. You will have to work it to achieve it.

What do you desire? Is that which you desire different than someone else? What if you were to realize that it was created that way thanks to the sin of man and woman in the garden and that to conquer the desire we have to fight through the difficulty that was created?

Gain Through Contentment

Having it all is very ambiguous. It is different for each person. For one it might be having more financial wealth than anyone can think. For another it might be family around all the time. And still for another it might be waking each day to experience all that God provides. Yes I am studying God’s Word and that last one is where I am this morning, but it is worth noting that not everyone feels the same way.

“⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain, ⁷for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” – 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (ESV)

Here, Paul is writing to encourage Timothy to be content that He has God, food, and clothing. All else is fleeting as when we come into this world we have nothing and when we leave, we take nothing with us. It is important to be satisfied with what we have and know that God will provide all that we NEED to make it through.

Now, this is where it gets a bit sticky. “But there are people that have millions of dollars and lots of family, they are so much better off than I am?” This is the thought process of someone who is looking to be like someone other than Jesus. Jesus did not have all the monetary things, yet He was blessed beyond anything anyone else could imagine. He had the Father and His friends and that is all He needed. All else would be provided in the moment from God and Jesus knew this. I have to remember to have the same approach daily. It is not about what others have, it is about what I have that has been provided by God.

Having the monetary things are not evil. It is the next two verses in the passage that spells out the reality of things.

“⁹But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” – 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (ESV)

Desire and love of riches is where things go wrong. When someone has done well and is giving back and frankly, does not worry or concern themselves with “things”, they are content. It is okay to have the things when the heart and mind are in concert with the will of God. Things are needed to do great things.

I think of our church. As a church plant looking for a permanent home, we need the monetary things. There are those in the church that are able to give great financially. But, that is not all that is needed. There are those that may not be able to give financially, but are giving through time and talents and that is just as important. It is not the things that are important, is the use of them for the glory of God.

And here I come back to the title of this post, “Gain Through Contentment”. It is in contentment that we are able to find the greater things. God provides what we NEED. Sometimes we need the things to do His work and in those times He will provide. I have to be content in the LORD and know that I will gain more there than anywhere.

What does contentment look like to you? Are you satisfied or do you desire more? What if you were to be content with what you have, knowing that gain comes from God providing what you need?

Lose Things Gain Christ

This morning I am continuing my study of the word “gain”. I am again in the book of Philippians. The below verse is the one that directed me here.

“⁸Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” – Philippians 3:8 (ESV)

Just what are those things that we lose and are “rubbish” according to Paul. Well you have to look at the rest of the passage. Paul is telling the Philippians that he was considered almost blameless in society at one time. He was a “Hebrew of Hebrews” and in eyes of society and in the law he was a Pharisee. Paul was fully protected under the law as he did the work of society. Yet, once he found the LORD, all of it was of no consequence and to him, it was all “rubbish” and of no use to him thanks to all he gained in Christ.

I have to get past all that is in this world. All that I have in the world is of no consequence and “rubbish” compared to all that I gain in Christ. I may have mentioned that Lori and I have a number of vehicles and we count those as blessings as they are useful in our lives up til now. Now, it is just the two of us in the house and we do not “need” all of the vehicles. We can only drive two at a time and therefore the rest are just “rubbish”. Subsequently we are working to rid ourselves of the “rubbish”.

I know, that this seems a bit silly to be talking about vehicles as gains in this world, but aren’t they? They are not investments, they are just things. It is time to lose the things to bask in the gains in Christ. It is time to be content with what the LORD will provide and look to those things from this world as they are “rubbish” that just takes up space, time, and effort that can/should be directed in the LORD’s Work.

What things do you have in your life? Are these things taking up your space, time, and effort? What if you were to rid yourself of the “rubbish” things and devote the now available space, time, and effort in the gains in Christ?