The desires of a young man

Of this list of inner capacities, I reckon that our desires get us into most trouble. 

Young men are known for having strong desires. There is a reason Paul warned Timothy to “flee youthful lusts”. A young man who has not let the Lord direct his desires will be a man hungry for all that his flesh wants. It usually involves women, wealth and winning – and if he never ‘wises up’, it always ends in regret and self-destruction. 

But desires are not necessarily wrong. Yes, we need to run in the opposite direction of the ungodly, fleshly and perverted varieties. But there is such a thing as a good desire. As we study scripture, we find that there are many things worth setting as the object of our heart's desire.

Above and beyond all other good desires is the Lord Himself. Listen to David's soul as he begins Psalm 63:

“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water."

God was David's chief desire. Until he knew God's power and beheld His glory, David's heart would be dissatisfied.

I long that David’s longing becomes our longing! To have the Lord Himself. 

As we desire the Lord, we will find all those things associated with Him or that proceed from Him are also worth wanting. For example, consider these ten good desires:

1. Desire the scriptures – “Behold, I have longed after thy precepts” (Psalm 119:40). “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (2 Peter 2:2)
2. Desire wisdom – “She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her” (Proverbs 3:15)
3. Desire righteousness – “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth … seek righteousness” (Zephaniah 2:3). “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33)
4. Desire peace – “Seek peace, and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14). “Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you” (2 Thessalonians 4:11).
5. Desire the presence of the family of God – “For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:8). “But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire” (1 Thessalonians 2:17).
6. Desire the building up of the church of God – “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established” (Romans 1:11). “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Colossians 1:9). “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church” (1 Corinthians 14:12).
7. Desire the care of the flock of God –  “if any one aspires to exercise oversight, he desires a good work” (1 Timothy 3:1, Darby’s translation).
8. Desire the salvation of your own people – “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved” (Romans 10:1).
9. Desire the salvation of those who have never heard the gospel  – “Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation” (Romans 15:20).
10. Desire what is yet to come – “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come” (Hebrews 13:14). “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven” (2 Corinthians 5:2). “what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God” (2 Peter 3:11-12). 

As Christian men, let’s make the Lord our chief desire. As we do this, we will find ourselves wanting what He wants. Our priorities will change. Our prayers will change. And slowly but surely our whole outer life of action and effort will be transformed. We will become men after God’s own heart; men earnestly wanting to do His will.