The Bible talks about desire a lot; our “wants and wishes” as we sometimes sing are part of our prayers to God and part of our everyday reality of life. It is unreasonable and unrealistic to expect a human being to go through life wanting nothing and empty of desires. God does have some expectations for desire however and we must consider what things we pursue. Do our desires match with a Godly character?
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
Matthew 5:6
for they will be filled.
There is one desire that goes beyond mere wishing and that is hunger. If hunger is not sated, we die. Thirst is the same. Interesting then, that when Jesus in the beatitudes mentions wanting righteousness he did not merely say desire. If we hunger and thirst for righteousness, if we crave it in order to live we will be filled and our life will continue.
Not only does Christianity remove any sort of monk-like requirement for a purge of desires but a Godly person actually adds a new, deeper, Spiritual set of desires to our basic daily needs. For the dedicated follower of Christ, we deeply need righteousness to live.
Ethan Kirl
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