“I am His beast, and all His biddings are joys.” —C. S. Lewis

Is it not true that as we continue to grow closer in intimacy to the Father, our desires will continue to grow in likeness to His desires? Why then, should we ever be concerned that our wants and desires are bad? Though the heart was once “deceitful above all things and beyond cure” (Jeremiah 17:9), we are now “a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17)! We were promised “an undivided heart” and a “new spirit” – which was fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So it is folly to crush the desires of our heart. Instead, we should guard our hearts, for they are the “wellspring of life.” What we now long for is good, and if it has not been forbidden by the word of God, it is acceptable and pleasing to Him for us to desire it. I hope that my mindset will change, so that I can and will enjoy all that I do, because I ultimately do the things I want to do.

“Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
- Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

“Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
- 1 Timothy 4:11-12 (NIV)

I forget how young Timothy really was. Paul took Timothy under his “wing” and brought this young lad with him everywhere. Timothy was totally FAT - Faithful, Available, Teachable (that’s the last time you’ll see me use some acronym or other mnemonic). Paul taught Timothy so much – in speech and in life. Timothy saw Paul plant churches, reason with the Jews and Greeks, work hard for his living, suffer for the name of Christ, and through it all Timothy stayed by Paul’s side. Now that Timothy is a pastor of a new church, Paul writes to Timothy and gives him all of these instructions and exhortations. Hold onto the truth. Be careful of your doctrine. Find trustworthy men to be in positions of responsibility in the church. Teach faithfully.

In the middle of all of these instructions, Paul tells Timothy to not let anyone look down on him because of his age, but to set an example through speech, life, love, faith, and purity. That’s pretty challenging stuff. First of all, Paul tells Timothy that regardless of our physical age, God can use us and we should not let anyone intimidate us on that basis alone. We aren’t supposed to be seeking approval from others anyways. Second, the exemplary life listed covers basically everything. When we talk with people, we ought to encourage and challenge them to pursue God more. Oftentimes I see that my conversations with Christians aren’t very encouraging – it’s mostly mundane drivel that I’ll forget in a week or so. But the few conversations I have with people who cause me to stop and think about my relationship with God, those are priceless. So our speech, our conversations, the way we talk with people needs to be at a high standard. Our speech should bring people closer to Christ, regardless of whether we’re talking about football, or the latest fashions. In that way, I think we can truly glorify God sincerely in our speech, and be a good example for believers.

Life is probably the one of the more important aspects. A lot of people look at the verse and think of speech as what you teach people and tell people to do. I took it from a different approach. But regardless of speech, a life that is proven to be godly carries more weight than any other aspect. In a sense, out of that type of life everything else overflows. But anyways, people will respect you if you live a life that is respectable. Then they’ll be willing to hear what you have to say, if you’re teaching stuff. I could go on, but it’d be pretty redundant.

This is taking a long time…But I should probably hit these last three. Some other time.

In need of grace, in need of love
In need of mercy raining down from high above
In need of strength, in need of peace
In need of things that only You can give to me.

In need of Christ, the perfect Lamb
My refuge strong, the great I Am
This is my song, my humble plea
I am Your child, I am in need.

- In Need, by Ross King

I was doing a study on this song earlier in the week, and I didn’t really have a chance to fully think through the impact of this truth. As all unoriginal people do when they first look at a subject, I looked up “need” in the dictionary. Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines need as “A state that requires supply or relief.” It’s a very humbling position, to be in need, to depend on others for supply or relief. As human beings, we don’t like being vulnerable. We don’t like to show weakness, or to be hurt or to become burdensome to others. This is especially true in American society, where the selfish “look out for number one” mentality reigns supreme. However, the idea of being in constant need is a theme addressed throughout Scripture. We must depend on God and be in need to Him.

This is far easier said than done, however. Think of it this way: how many times during a day do you go about your normal routine activities and not stop to think that you need God to carry you through the activity? How often do we work on our homework or spend time with friends and forget that without God we have no basis for joy? How often do we share The Bridge illustration or disciple a younger Christian and only have God in our minds, and not our hearts? Honestly, I’ve seen so many Christians who live in an ideal world, a world where having many so-called “tools” or “illustrations” make a person ready for “the ministry.” I put these key words in quotes because they are tossed about in many Christian circles. These “tools,” like the Bridge illustration or the Topical Memory System, are wonderful ways to share Christ with others, or to help a young Christian begin establishing spiritual disciplines of Scripture Memory and meditation. However, many Christians I know seem to think these define our spiritual growth. Now, of the things I’ve mentioned so far, I’ve basically used The Navigators’ material as examples, not because they’re the most guilty (no particular group here is more guilty than another), but because they happen to have the most material I see on a regular basis. Any formulaic method, designed to help be “more effective,” makes me think that Christianity is more of a business enterprise than a life relationship with the One True God of the universe. When used improperly, these methods take the place of the Holy Spirit in the minds of young Christians.

So back to need. Why the above bothers me so much is because I see the Christian life beyond memorizing Scripture, praying every day, sharing the gospel with others, and all of that. This God that we claim to serve and worship is “before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17). Scripture also tells us that apart from Him we can’t do anything (Jn. 15:5). Why then do we insist on making it so easy to not depend on Him in our actions? Need is fuel for our worship. Because we need God, way more than He needs us, we must surrender every aspect of our lives to Him so that He can satisfy us. The essence of Scripture is based on need. We had all we needed in God, we turned away from Him, and He came to bring us back to Him. We need more than we ever realize. And it is by our confidence in His provision that we yield our lives to Him. Enough of these walls and defensive barriers that keep God out. Let us cast all of our anxiety on the Almighty God, because He cares for us (1 Pet. 5:6-7).

It’s a bold statement. Honestly, I can’t say that I confess my needs to God nearly enough. But by His amazing grace, I can say that this revelation truly challenged the core of my attitudes and motives.

In Need
Words and Music by Ross King
© 1996 Ross King

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority – the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.”
- 2 Corinthians 13:5-10 (NIV)

It’s so hard to live an authentic life. Though our old self has died and we are born with a new self, our old tendencies are still present in our bodies. It’s why we should test our motives, our actions, and our words against the Word of God. Because it is the standard, because it is the truth, we can be confident of our lives when we live according to it.

One thing that makes this life easier is the grace and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This new life as a Christian is not one based on personal works, but of freedom that exists as Jesus Christ purifies us and makes us holy. This is why Paul can write in verse 8, “For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.” In God’s awesome love and provision, we gradually see our lives transformed from that old, dead, sinful self to the holy, pure, glorified new self. While ontologically we are resurrected at the moment of salvation, the lingering effects of the old self gradually fade, as we continue to pursue God more.

Because of this awesome relationship we have with God, that we may glorify Him as He builds us up, we too should be building others up and encouraging them. This needs to be kept separate from flattery and “feel-good Christianity.” Building others up is far beyond simple “make someone feel good.” As a building is erected, piece by piece stone is laid to the foundation. If a stone is out of place, that stone needs to be removed quickly, or else the rest of the building will be messed up. In a similar way, our Christian friends should be the same way, laying down stones upon the foundation of Christ and the Word. However, if one of those stones is placed incorrectly, that stone and everything above it needs to be removed, because the building (our lives) will begin to lean crooked. I hope that my friends would be interested in building each other up in this way, and stay away from the shallow “feel good” compliments that only flatter and bring little growth. I also hope that I will be someone who builds up others according to the Word of God, and that I will not lead others astray from the truth.

“I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. For some say, ‘His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.’ Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:9-11 (NIV)

We ought to be living a consistent life. Often we end up acting different in front of people compared to when they are far off. We are quiet, unassuming, nice, godly people on the surface, but as soon as there’s no one around, our selfish nature seems to surge out, and we start doing and thinking things we should not. We might praise someone publicly, but behind their backs gossip and slander. Paul’s case is not as extreme as hypocrisy. While people don’t take him seriously when he is with them in person, they become anxious because his letters to them are “weighty and forceful.” However, he gently reminds them that he and the other letter writers have not changed – the same way they would be in person is the same way they write letters, and the same way they write letters is the same way they would be in person.

So, we should work to be that way as well. Though some people are not very good at public speaking, the lives we live should still be in line with Scripture, and our private lives should reflect God as well. I’ve heard it said that integrity is what we do when only God is watching. It’s our aim, because our witness depends on the authenticity of our lives.