Growing up I remember hearing the cute Christmas song, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth, see my two front teeth! Gee, if I could only have my two front teeth, then I could wish you "Merry Christmas." I haven’t heard it anywhere recently except in my own head. It started me thinking, though, about the things we desire. Christmas is a time when many people think about what they want Santa to bring them, and what they hope might be under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. If we just receive this or that gift, we think our life will be fulfilled.
It is human to desire fulfillment. The truth is, we experience fulfillment only when God’s desires become our desires. God’s desires become our desires when we surrender our lives to God and honestly choose to have him remove our selfishness and sin as far from us as the east is from the west. This is achieved only when we accept that Jesus, who knew no sin became sin for us so that through Him we might become righteous and acceptable to a Holy God.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)
Jesus’ life offered in service and death demonstrated that when God’s will is first in our lives, the results ultimately are positive. “I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8 NIV )
This Advent season, God invites us to become those who desire His will in every area of our life, every day of our lives. As we make this fundamental shift in our thinking and behaving, we will experience the kind of satisfaction Jesus spoke about when He said, “My food, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34 NIV)
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Psalm 37:4, Matthew 16:25, Matthew 6:33 NIV)
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