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Do I desire nothing but God?
I’ve got two mirrors in my bathroom that sit at 90-degree angles with each other. When you look at yourself in my bathroom mirror, there is not much that remains hidden. The many angles ensure that you get an eyeful of yourself. For good or for bad, you see the truth.
John Wesley’s question “Do I desire nothing but God?” serves as our spiritual mirror, reflecting the hard truths of our spiritual condition. As I read Wesley’s sermon “The Almost Christian,” this question convicts me: Is God my daily desire? Hmm.
John Wesley asked tough questions of his listeners, questions that few of us could answer affirmatively with 100 percent confidence. Yet I see his questions as aspirations rather than condemnations. Of course we struggle with answering these questions. That’s the point! To grow in Christ means to be stretched in the areas of our lives these questions touch upon. The Christian life entails moving from one point of faith to another.
So, if these questions are aspirational, then I can be honest with where I am now in relation to them and compare that to where I’ve been.
“Do I desire nothing but God?” Maybe on my best days I come close to answering yes to this question. Yet for most days I’m far from it. Most days I’m hoping to get through the day, make progress at work, spend time with my wife and kids, and find some personal meaning in the process. Is God a part of my day? Absolutely. But the reflection from this question highlights to me that while God is part of my daily life, God often doesn’t represent my chief desire. That’s most days.
Yet at Christmastime, things shift. I love the Advent season because it’s a time of acute awareness of the coming Christ. January through November has its own spiritual rhythm, but December has another. Like with the anticipation of the birth of my own child, there is a gleeful anticipation as I wait for the Christmas remembrance that God has come to dwell among us. Who doesn’t want the hope and redemption that the birth of this Christ Child brings? With all the pomp and circumstance that surround Christmas, how can we not turn our desires to the God who desired us above all else?
God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world. God destined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ because of his love. (Ephesians 1:4-5)
Before the universe came into being, God desired to be with you. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus who came to solidify that relationship between us and the Divine. At Christmas I am reminded of how much I need a Savior to connect with me and to save me. At Christmas I recognize I can’t do it all on my own. At Christmas, I long for Jesus.
What about you? This Christmas do you desire nothing but God? Let Wesley’s question reveal the truth, whatever that may be. If the answer is yes, then how do you keep that desire for God into the new year? If the answer is no, that’s OK. You can’t grow in your relationship with Christ if you aren’t honest about where you are right now. From now until Christmas, pray this prayer: “God, give me a heart for you.” Pray that prayer every time you see evidence of Christmas around you, and I believe that you’ll see your desire for Christ’s presence in your life change for the better.
“Do I desire nothing but God?” May this Christmas the answer be “Yes! Thanks be to God, yes!”
Rev. David Dorn