A Burning Desire

From the Valley of Vision, a book of Puritan prayers, page 213:

As I pursue my heavenly journey by thy grace let me be known as a man with no aim but that of a burning desire for thee, and the good and salvation of my fellow men.

Herein are the first and second great commandments, to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. To be passionate about loving God, knowing God, living for Him; and to be passionate about living for the good and salvation of men, women, and children.

Jesus lights everyone who comes into the world (John Chapter 1); we are called to bear His light to all – to the thankful and the unthankful – to love those who are open to love and to love those who reject love. We are called to serve those who will receive as well as those who reject. It is not for us to choose who we will serve, if we will serve Jesus Christ then we must serve all our generation – it is not for us to separate the sheep from the goats – we serve all just as our Father blesses all with His rain and His sun and His goodness.

The light (Jesus) is the light of men (John Chapter 1). As God gives us grace we also are to be the light of men in Christ – we are to dispel darkness, shining as lights in a dark world. Jesus teaches that we are not to cover our light with a basket; yet it seems at times we do cover it; it seems at times that we are covert followers of Christ Jesus – but is that possible? Is it possible to follow Jesus covertly?

Jesus teaches us that we are to have a single eye and that if our eye is single then we will be full of light – a single eye is an eye fixed on Jesus, the Author and Completer of our faith – as we behold Him we can see people (in a measure) as they really are – sheep without a shepherd, people in pain, people programmed to run here and there in search of acquisitions, in survival mode – trying to make it another day, another week, another year – perhaps another minute or hour. Or perhaps seeking to retire early – but for what? The hamster wheel, the rat race…it may be technologically advanced…the hamster wheel may not require physical force to turn…but that makes it all the more insidious. The wheel turns faster and faster – but we continue to arrive at nowhere.

Will we pay whatever price necessary to bring others into the Ark? Will we seek the good and salvation of our fellow man?