Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Our Desires,Not Intentions

If you look in my book list, the most recent one I have read is Blessed Child, by Ted Dekker. Great Read!! A little thriller, a little romance, a lot of Jesus, a lot of politics, a lot of action!!
This isn't a book critique, so I'll work on getting to my point in mentioning it. There is a quote in the book during a dialogue part about seeking the kingdom of God. Paraphrased, it says that it is the desire that leads to the seeking that will result in finding the Kingdom of God, not our intentions.
I was pondering that while I dug my potatoes today in our garden. I was really getting into digging them, let me tell you!! I had my sandals off, and was just reveling in the dirt and every time I found a cache of potatoes, I was just inspired to dig and find more! Sometimes I would find a couple, and then nothing. However, I found that if I kept on digging, I would frequently find more. I had to search in all directions, I had to dig down deeper often, sometimes I even had a rock or a root to contend with, but let me tell you, I wanted those potatoes!!
I desired those potatoes--enough to push through whatever was in my way. It was the desire for the potatoes that urged me on, that didn't let me rest in finding ways to get to them.
You can probably see where this is going. If my intentions were to dig potatoes, I could encounter a hard one and say, "Eh, who cares, I am digging potatoes--who cares if I miss a few?" And move on, not realizing that the motherload may lie right underneath.
Is our life with God lived out the same way?? Our intentions are to seek God. So we do a little Bible study, we attend a seminar, we spend some time praying. But watch out!! Encounter the rocks and roots of a time crunch, a medical problem, an inconvenient parking space, an untimely death, and wham--doubts, questions, weariness, and so on seem to choke out our intentions. However, if our desire is for more of Christ himself, what will keep us away from Him?? If we desire Him in a way a thousand times more intensely than my desire for potatoes, we will push through all rocks and roots of life to find him, won't we?

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please be kind, folks:) Differences of opinion are fine, but let the love of Christ reign here...