"What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don't they come from the cravings that are at war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:1-2, HCSB).
James's questions penetrate deep into the heart. I have often asked myself in the midst of a fit, why I was so angry? Ninety percent of the time, maybe 99% of the time, my anger is rooted in a perception of slight. In those moments, it feels as if someone has denied my something I obviously deserved. But in reality, I realize that other people have wants and desires.
On an intellectual level, I comprehend that their wants and desires are as important to them as my desires are to me, and that they are probably as deserving of receiving what they desire as I am. Yet on an emotional level, I don't always feel like they deserve it as much as I do. They (probably) haven't worked as hard as I have.
When you combine the frustration that comes with an unmet desire with a deeply embedded emotional response, you get a fight. Maybe it is a fight with words thrown like hand grenades that rip through the flesh into the soul. Maybe you fight with silence and ice. Maybe your fight is really a fight.
But why are we angry in the first place? Because we didn't get what we wanted. We would do well to remind ourselves that its okay to not get everything we ever wanted. We need to ask our own set of penetrating questions. Is it worth this kind of hostility? Have I put to much emphasis on the wrong thing? Will I still want it after I get it?
Think of something you didn't get, and were angry over. Are you still angry about it? Or have you discovered it was actually better not to have it?
Showing posts with label Desire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desire. Show all posts
Monday, September 10, 2012
Friday, January 29, 2010
Don't Let Opposition Set You Back
Sometimes I think obstacles occur in our lives to test the true weight of our desires. I can remember wanting to play an instrument when I was younger. However, the want to never manifested it self in actual practice. Sure, I would plunk on my keyboard for short periods of time, but never to the point that I learned a song. The desire for playing an instrument was never really that great in my life (although sometimes it seems to continue to grow).
Times of testing have often revealed to me what I really want. If I believe an idea has merit and that pursuing it might be a good idea, I am usually very willing to try it. However, if I am not absolutely convinced that this is what God would have me to do, or that it is the only right course of action, I find that opposition causes me to rethink my approach and reevaluate the idea. Sometimes, I drop something because the opposition isn't worth it. But when I am moved to conviction, and convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that an idea is the right thing to do, the thing that God has called me to, then opposition only makes me try harder.
I have learned a long time ago that I am a dreamer by nature. I also know that not all ideas should become reality. Somethings we attempt, for the glory of God, might not work out. The Lord may have another plan, but that doesn't mean that it is a sin to attempt them. Opposition does not mean that something isn't the will of God. In fact, opposition usually means that we are doing the will of God (especially when it's the right kind of opposition).
We have to ask why opposition is against us. Are we wrong? That is, are we pushing for something that is meant to bring us glory and honor, when we should be seeking God's glory? Have we misunderstood the Scriptures and thus misapplied them, so that those who hear us are really standing in opposition to error? Or is the opposition against the sound interpretation and application of Scripture? That is, do they know what you're saying is right, they just don't want to hear it? Have we gone about things with an improper attitude, or in an unloving way that makes people feel used and angry? We have to find the reason for the opposition.
If we know that our foundation rests in the obedient response to a sound interpretation and application of Scripture, and we know that we are moving at a gentle, loving pace, then we can be reasonably comfortable with the assertion that it is God' s work that is being opposed, and not us. Once the nature of the opposition has been established, we can then turn that information into fuel for motivation. The knowledge that you are doing the right thing, for the right reason, to the glory of God, should keep you from letting opposition from setting you back.
Times of testing have often revealed to me what I really want. If I believe an idea has merit and that pursuing it might be a good idea, I am usually very willing to try it. However, if I am not absolutely convinced that this is what God would have me to do, or that it is the only right course of action, I find that opposition causes me to rethink my approach and reevaluate the idea. Sometimes, I drop something because the opposition isn't worth it. But when I am moved to conviction, and convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that an idea is the right thing to do, the thing that God has called me to, then opposition only makes me try harder.
I have learned a long time ago that I am a dreamer by nature. I also know that not all ideas should become reality. Somethings we attempt, for the glory of God, might not work out. The Lord may have another plan, but that doesn't mean that it is a sin to attempt them. Opposition does not mean that something isn't the will of God. In fact, opposition usually means that we are doing the will of God (especially when it's the right kind of opposition).
We have to ask why opposition is against us. Are we wrong? That is, are we pushing for something that is meant to bring us glory and honor, when we should be seeking God's glory? Have we misunderstood the Scriptures and thus misapplied them, so that those who hear us are really standing in opposition to error? Or is the opposition against the sound interpretation and application of Scripture? That is, do they know what you're saying is right, they just don't want to hear it? Have we gone about things with an improper attitude, or in an unloving way that makes people feel used and angry? We have to find the reason for the opposition.
If we know that our foundation rests in the obedient response to a sound interpretation and application of Scripture, and we know that we are moving at a gentle, loving pace, then we can be reasonably comfortable with the assertion that it is God' s work that is being opposed, and not us. Once the nature of the opposition has been established, we can then turn that information into fuel for motivation. The knowledge that you are doing the right thing, for the right reason, to the glory of God, should keep you from letting opposition from setting you back.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Idea Or Desire?
What is the difference between an idea and a desire? An idea can be defined as "something imagined or pictured in the mind." A desire can be defined as "a longing for or hoping for." The distinction between an idea and a desire is crucial for ministry. Within the framework of the church, every believer is to be a minister. The role of the pastor is to equip the saints for ministry so that the church will be built up into maturity in Christ (see Eph. 4:11-13). This truth teaches us that the primary ministry of the pastor, through preaching and prayer, is equipping the saints.
Many of us get ideas for ministry. We see some need, like tending to the widows or adopting orphans, and we think that's a good idea. However, for many of us that is a far as we get. Sometimes people will say to me, "Bro. Randy, I think the church ought to do so-and-so," and having presented me with their idea they feel their work is done. Situations like these bring us back to our initial question in this post. What is the difference between an idea and a desire? If someone shares their idea with me, I may agree that it is a good one, but that does mean I am going to act on it. For one, I may lack the resources to act on it, whether it be time, knowledge, or strength. Or I may lack the desire.
What most of us don't realize is that sometimes what we mistake as an idea (a thought) is really the Holy Spirit creating a desire (a longing). He doesn't want us to hand it off to someone else, he wants us, through him, to serve God with this desire. Before I received the "call" to preach, I had an idea of what preaching was, but I had no desire to preach (or to even listen). Yet, the when I received the call, the idea became a desire. The desire grew so great that my fear of public speaking was dwarfed by my longing to preach the word. When we serve him out of the desires he has placed in our heart, God is glorified. Our obedience to these desires is often used by God to draw others who will labor along side of us. Ministries often fail in churches, not because of lack of resources (money, time, people), but because they are headed by people who have an idea, but no desire.
How do we know the difference between an idea and a desire? Do you recognize a define need? Does the thought come to you and leave, like a butterfly fluttering between flowers or does it gnaw at you like a starving pit bull with a ham bone? Do your thoughts return frequently to the ways in which God would be exalted if the "idea" succeeded? Are you willing to make any sacrifice to see it happen? Are you ashamed you haven't done something yet? Are you beginning to recognize in others the giftedness and talent that can see this "idea" through to reality? Are you continually returning to God in prayer, yearning to see it happen? If your answer to these questions are yes (and gnawing not fluttering), then friend you have a desire. If you have a desire, I can help equip you for this work of ministry. I can encourage you. I can fan the flames of passion so that it spreads throughout the church, butI cannot take your place. If the Lord has given you the desire, you better be prepared to work.
Many of us get ideas for ministry. We see some need, like tending to the widows or adopting orphans, and we think that's a good idea. However, for many of us that is a far as we get. Sometimes people will say to me, "Bro. Randy, I think the church ought to do so-and-so," and having presented me with their idea they feel their work is done. Situations like these bring us back to our initial question in this post. What is the difference between an idea and a desire? If someone shares their idea with me, I may agree that it is a good one, but that does mean I am going to act on it. For one, I may lack the resources to act on it, whether it be time, knowledge, or strength. Or I may lack the desire.
What most of us don't realize is that sometimes what we mistake as an idea (a thought) is really the Holy Spirit creating a desire (a longing). He doesn't want us to hand it off to someone else, he wants us, through him, to serve God with this desire. Before I received the "call" to preach, I had an idea of what preaching was, but I had no desire to preach (or to even listen). Yet, the when I received the call, the idea became a desire. The desire grew so great that my fear of public speaking was dwarfed by my longing to preach the word. When we serve him out of the desires he has placed in our heart, God is glorified. Our obedience to these desires is often used by God to draw others who will labor along side of us. Ministries often fail in churches, not because of lack of resources (money, time, people), but because they are headed by people who have an idea, but no desire.
How do we know the difference between an idea and a desire? Do you recognize a define need? Does the thought come to you and leave, like a butterfly fluttering between flowers or does it gnaw at you like a starving pit bull with a ham bone? Do your thoughts return frequently to the ways in which God would be exalted if the "idea" succeeded? Are you willing to make any sacrifice to see it happen? Are you ashamed you haven't done something yet? Are you beginning to recognize in others the giftedness and talent that can see this "idea" through to reality? Are you continually returning to God in prayer, yearning to see it happen? If your answer to these questions are yes (and gnawing not fluttering), then friend you have a desire. If you have a desire, I can help equip you for this work of ministry. I can encourage you. I can fan the flames of passion so that it spreads throughout the church, butI cannot take your place. If the Lord has given you the desire, you better be prepared to work.
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