Title (Thursday) Holy Desire
Contents
Hymn: No. 198 "The Fountain of Purification"
Meditation: Christians must have holy lust. In this Lunar New Year, let's have a holy desire to please God, that is, to live a life that serves the soul like Jesus.
Confession of Faith: Apostles' Creed
Text: “When lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death… .” (James 1:15,16)
A 50-year-old couple of the same age celebrated their wedding anniversary. An angel appeared and said that he would grant one wish to the couple because he liked seeing them live happily ever after. My wife said, “I want to travel around the world with my husband.” The angel immediately gave me two plane tickets. After hesitating for a while, my husband dragged the angel into a corner and whispered into his ear. The content was, “I wish I could live with my wife, who is about 30 years younger than me, once.” The angel smiled and granted his wish. What would have happened? My husband suddenly grew old and became an 80-year-old grandfather.
It's a joke we already know, but it's an anecdote that reminds us of the consequences of greed. Don't think about what you're going to get with greed. Greed is what destroys people. If you do business with greed, you will surely go bankrupt. Greed obscures the wisdom and understanding of the heart. That is why they forsake the right way and lead them into the wrong way, that is, the way of sin. Growing greed leads to temptation to use unclean methods. The result is bankruptcy.
True happiness comes from having a spiritual desire to please God. Jesus lived with the desire to make God's wishes come true. ‘How can I save the lost souls who have left the bosom of God?’ He served the souls with this wish. He loved the marginalized and lowly and gave his all for them. Jesus did nothing to satisfy his greed. He considered serving other souls the greatest joy and happiness.
As followers of Jesus, we must not become slaves to worldly greed and desires. When we live with the spiritual desire to please God only in the center of our hearts, we will enjoy the true happiness and true blessings that Jesus experienced. Dear saints, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will live this year with blessings by keeping holy desires in your heart for the Lunar New Year.
Prayer: Help me to live with the desire to please God. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Lord's Prayer