James 1:12-18
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (NIV– emphasis added)
This is a very intriguing passage. It flies in the face of what I have believed for several years. See, I thought that I should pursue the desires of my heart, my passion, so that I could walk in the true gifting that God has given me. After all, I do believe that God is the one that gave those desires and passions. I strongly believe God has wired me in such a way that I can quickly identify zeal, passion, and desire in my heart. Unfortunately, if I am in full pursuit of desire, I am on the road to death.
So, what is the balance? If God is the one who wired me to have certain desires, how can that lead to death? James does a brilliant job of clarifying the real issue. It isn’t that God wired me so I am susceptible to certain temptations as a result of my wiring. It is that I become intently focused on those desires. This misdirected focus drags me away, entices me, and leads me away from God. The wiring is inherently good because every perfect gift… read perfect desire… is from God. When God is the central desire of my heart, the zeal leads to a kind of firstfruits of all He created because He has given us birth through the word of truth. It all comes back to Him!
Psalm 37:3-7
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (NIV – emphasis added)
When I focus on my desires and chasing my dreams, something critical is missing... God. In my pursuit, I am elevating the zeal to a level higher than God. My focus is satisfying my own passion rather than trusting God to do this as he promised. I am removing him from a most important equation and inserting self. It is no wonder that my desires bring forth death.
Delight yourself in the Lord. Then, watch what he does. While you are watching, delight yourself in the Lord. After all, isn’t he enough to satisfy your every desire?
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (NIV– emphasis added)
This is a very intriguing passage. It flies in the face of what I have believed for several years. See, I thought that I should pursue the desires of my heart, my passion, so that I could walk in the true gifting that God has given me. After all, I do believe that God is the one that gave those desires and passions. I strongly believe God has wired me in such a way that I can quickly identify zeal, passion, and desire in my heart. Unfortunately, if I am in full pursuit of desire, I am on the road to death.
So, what is the balance? If God is the one who wired me to have certain desires, how can that lead to death? James does a brilliant job of clarifying the real issue. It isn’t that God wired me so I am susceptible to certain temptations as a result of my wiring. It is that I become intently focused on those desires. This misdirected focus drags me away, entices me, and leads me away from God. The wiring is inherently good because every perfect gift… read perfect desire… is from God. When God is the central desire of my heart, the zeal leads to a kind of firstfruits of all He created because He has given us birth through the word of truth. It all comes back to Him!
Psalm 37:3-7
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (NIV – emphasis added)
When I focus on my desires and chasing my dreams, something critical is missing... God. In my pursuit, I am elevating the zeal to a level higher than God. My focus is satisfying my own passion rather than trusting God to do this as he promised. I am removing him from a most important equation and inserting self. It is no wonder that my desires bring forth death.
Delight yourself in the Lord. Then, watch what he does. While you are watching, delight yourself in the Lord. After all, isn’t he enough to satisfy your every desire?
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