What did desire drive Jesus to do? Desire drove Jesus to seek and save His lost Bride. It drove Him to give up His position as Almighty God to come to Earth as a vulnerable man. It drove Him to live a life of hardship that He could have escaped. It drove Him to endure ridicule and persecution. It drove Him, crazy-in-love, to be literally ripped to shreds by a cat-of-nine-tails. It drove Him to take orders from mere men, to carry a grainy, splintered cross on His raw flesh for miles. It drove Him to the ultimate sacrifice; to give up His very life.
Passionate desire, passionate attraction, passionate longing, drove Jesus to give everything He had in exchange for us.
All Jesus could think about was embracing you and me; all He could think about was “to have and to hold, to love and to cherish,” with no death-do-us-part. He was not self-seeking. He was in pursuit of relationship.
That’s the kind of desire that Jesus wants to see in us; that’s the Desire He wants to see move into Lust’s old home! He made us with the capacity to enjoy relationship, romance and sex. He made us to have “chemistry” with people! And, He WANTS us to experience those things! But, we need to embrace this part of our design if we are to receive it all.
Please, by all means, continue to avoid lust! But for your own sake: stop fearing it! Simply listen to your heart; be honest with yourself about your motives in desiring someone. Guard yourself against selfish desires, but if your motives are pure, let yourself explore and embrace the desire!
This is exactly why I love country music:
To me, country love songs best exemplify the celebration of desire and longing for beautiful things. The lyricist and singers, they own their passion. They act on it. It feels so innocent and beautiful because they are uncensored in their celebration of beauty, freedom, and excitement. Like children, they don’t hide what moves them- campfires, dancing, good lookin’ girls in tight blue jeans, the manly-man with the pick-up truck- but instead, they move toward it! You see, they are not bound by the fear of sin, and so get to experience the pleasure desire brings!
Am I saying that you should openly desire sinful things, in the name of freedom? No, may it never be! Am I saying that you should openly receive and celebrate the God-given desires of you heart? Absolutely!
To me, this is a little piece of Heaven on Earth. It’s a piece of God’s own heart!
Let desire drive you to relationship. Not personal gratification.
It worked for Adam and Eve. Let it work for you!
– Cara Santos
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with who there is no variation or shifting shadow.” – James 1:17
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