"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love . . . ." John 15:10
Why do we sin? It is born of desire. In the moment we sin, giving in to the false promises of some form of temptation, it's because we desire something or someone more than we desire God and all his promises in Christ Jesus. Sin is born of affection!
Jonathan Edwards writes, "Affection, indeed, is the motivation of the covetous man, the man who is greedy in worldly pursuits. The affections push the ambitious man forward in his pursuit of worldly fame. They activate the lustful man in his pursuit of pleasure and sensual delights." These are unholy affections!
The first commandment says, "You shall have no other gods before me," and the tenth commandment adds, "You shall not covet . . . anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:3, 17). These commands about God's amazing love are actually two sides of the same coin. In both God is saying, "You shall desire, crave, and find your purest pleasure and satisfaction in me-in no one and in nothing else before or above me!"
We willingly give in to temptation and choose the path of sin in a foolish attempt to fill the empty places of our lives, places that only God can fill. God commands us to desire him because he knows that when we obey, we will have all the satisfaction and joy we could ever want or find in this world.
Father, "there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey." Help us to do your good will, that we might have the joy you give so faithfully. In Jesus' name, Amen.
See God's love, power, presence, and purpose in your life every day!