1 Corinthians 15:1–17 ‘For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures’ (vv3–4)
Jesus’ death ended any need for a bloody sacrificial system and gave humanity the opportunity to taste and see God’s goodness (Ps. 34:8). Once tasted, our hunger can never be assuaged by anything less than Jesus. He meets the human heart’s deepest longing, something nothing else can satisfy. C. S. Lewis wrote:
‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.’*
We are a mass of competing desires that often lead us away from God’s best. Many such desires are pursued in our honest search for fulfilment, love and acceptance, and to know self-worth. Too quickly what was once sweet upon the lips turns to bitter ashes, and our desire returns, unsatisfied. Unmet desire can lead to behaviours that are self-destructive, even when honestly pursued. Our gospel message is that God meets our every desire. My experience is that this takes a lifetime, and learning how to feed from Christ alone is a path born of sorrow, regret and pain. However, each stumble reawakens my desire for God and my resolve to pursue Him.
SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Gen. 22:1–19; Ps. 37:1–7; Rom. 8:31–39; 1 Pet. 2:19–25.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: Are you disturbed by unmet desires? Acknowledge what they are, and the mistakes you have made seeking to meet them, and consider looking to God alone.
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, thank You that You have chosen me. May I wait on You to meet my every desire. Amen.’
