By Not Known
If you want to become a good shooter to win Olympic gold, you must have a single-minded desire. Desire will keep you going to the practice range day after day. It will keep you attentive to your coach, in fact to anyone who has some knowledge or is savvy in shooting. Your desire will make you willing to part with big money for the right equipment, the right air rifle or pistol to help you shoot well. Or buy books and magazines to inspire and motivate you to improve. You will look around for someone to copy. Your desire will carry you over obstacles and discouragement.
Want to be a great basketball player? You have to be disciplined. You will be the first one on court and the last one off. Because you want to excel, you will shoot hoops day in, day out, under the blazing sun and when the court is drenched. Dead tired, still you practice those lay-ups, those sky-hooks from every angle, left hand, right hand. You promise to sink 10 three-pointers in a row or start from zero again. You may even go for training when you are sick, or injured. Why do you put yourself through all that? Because there is an overwhelming desire to be the best basketballer you can be. Desire drives discipline.
David said in Ps 27:4: “One thing (not many things) just one thing have I desired of the Lord, that is what I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in His temple.” David’s eyes desired both to “see God’s beauty” and also to “enquire”, that is use his mind to seek God’s ways. His desire drove him towards God.
Jesus woke early in the morning and pulled away from his disciples for soul-refreshing prayer (Mk 1:35; 6:46). His desire to be refreshed in His Father’s presence drove Him to be disciplined.
The destination which we aim for in our Christian growth journey is a place called “maturity”. Here’s where we differ from Jesus: He was always fully mature, whereas we are on a lifelong journey. This was Paul’s aim in Colossians 1:28 “Him we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone perfect (mature/complete) in Christ.” Proclaiming Jesus was the starting point, but eventually Paul’s aim was to help everyone (no exceptions) grow to be mature in Christ.
Today there are many opportunities for us to learn – about discipleship, about various topics which we grapple with in our world, and dangers we have to guard against. Much as we want good teachers, we must also be good learners. Eagerness to teach must be met with eagerness to learn and retain what is learnt. Don’t settle for pew-warming, religious routines on Sundays. We need a God-inspired hunger to learn about God, about God’s Word and God’s ways in our world. We need humility and willingness to carve out time to stockpile spiritual knowledge so we can meet the challenges of the world and block the flaming darts of the evil one. Desire drives discipline and will push us on to maturity. Have you begun this journey yet?
Graham Ng