Paul fascinates me. Here you have someone who prepared to be a Pharisee for his entire life. He was aligned on that path until God intervened in a rather dramatic way, redirecting the entirety of Paul's life to the extent that he wanted to die, so deep was his desire to be fully united with Christ. And yet, Paul knew that his mission was to remain alive and continue to serve the church. His desires were subordinated to his mission.
That's the mark of a mature Christian -- someone willing to subdue their appetites to the mission God has set before them. Most of the things we desire most in life are about us. Christianity calls us to consider the needs of those around us and put them ahead of our own desires. If I desire to work so hard that I earn a billion dollars so that I can buy the Cincinnati Reds, Christ calls me to think about how the money I earn can be used to serve others first, but the Reds second. If I desire fame so that people will know who I am and respect me, Christ calls me to use whatever platform I may have to proclaim the Gospel so others will know who Christ is. Whatever our heart desires, Christ calls us to think about how we can serve others first, for in doing so, we imitate the love of Christ and find ourselves more closely aligned with the mission of God, and actually draw nearer to Christ, the object of our ultimate desires.
As Augustine says, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.
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