The feeling of desire is almost always with us. On the surface we might identify it as the desire for some new possession—car, house, clothes, technology, or even something as ordinary as a new coffee pot. It could also look like the desire for a new friend, new job, new skill, new opportunity, or any number of things we may want.
The point is, desire is embedded in our humanity, and we can act on it in a variety of ways, some good and some bad. Desire for a new (or improved) skill could breathe life into a neglected spiritual gift and make a way for us to serve and bless others. Desire for some new possession or opportunity could indicate that envy is stalking our hearts; and acting on that kind of desire will surely lead to disappointment rather than satisfaction.
So, before we put that item in the shopping cart, take out a loan, or turn in our two-week notice, let’s talk to our Father about desire … not just about what we are desiring but about desire itself. That sense of dissatisfaction, incompleteness, or discontent that often lies beneath desire could be a pull not to build bigger barns but to become “rich toward God.”
When desire is active in your heart, before going to the store, go to prayer. Seek more and more of the One who alone satisfies. It might save you some money, and a great deal of disappointment.
He told them a parable, saying,
“The land of a rich man produced plentifully,
and he thought to himself,
‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’
And he said, ‘I will do this:
I will tear down my barns and build larger ones,
and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my soul,
“Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’
But God said to him,
‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you,
and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
So is the one who lays up treasure for himself
and is not rich toward God.”
(Luke 12:16–21 ESV)