It’s a popular phrase in churches : “Are you ready to receive?” And everyone happily answers “Amen!” Indeed, Christ has already paid for our needs and beyond; we only have to receive. However, this attitude can also be dangerous…
My two-year-old son wants many things in the course of a day. This toy, his milk, the ball, his mother… the list is endless. Of course, everything should be given to him immediately. That’s normal at his age: he is in the period of self-affirmation. But in God, many Christians remain in this period indefinitely! They have a long list of demands and everything should be given to them as they want when they want. It’s no wonder that they are excited when the pastor or worship leader shouts : “Ready to receive?” Positioning themselves to receive is their favorite position.
The Word of God says : “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3.16 NIV). God isn’t just there to meet our needs or desires. Like a good parent, our heavenly Father must also instruct and correct us.
We often behave like we know everything, after all, we are adults, right? We forget that we still need to learn. We have a desire, and then we find a way to meet those desires. This is sadly also the case with many singles. They tell God their desire to get married, to a particular type of person, and they expect the answer. When they participate in seminars for singles, they look for the perfect recipe on how to find a husband or wife. If a poster on social media says : “You will meet your soulmate this month”, they comment with joy a big “Amen” and “I receive!” If someone starts flirting with them, even if that person does not share their same Christian values, they let themselves be seduced. They play the game : after all, it’s a way to meet their desire!
Instead, we should take the time to present our desires to God : “What should I change to be a single after Your heart? Correct me, I’m listening.”
We want a lot, but before positioning ourselves to receive, we should be positioned to learn. Proverbs 1.7 (NIV) says : “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” When God says that we need to keep ourselves pure, that we should not have sex before marriage. Do we receive this instruction with the fear of the Lord, or are we fools who “despise wisdom and instruction”? The same thing goes for other principles of God like not lying, not stealing, etc.
“My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.” (Proverbs 1.10 NIV) The world sees the purity of Christian singles as outdated or unnecessary. Do we let them convince us because it meets our desires? Or do we let ourselves be instructed by God? Do we keep His teachings?
Not only do we need to constantly have an attitude of learning, but we must ensure we learn from God. It’s good to take classes on all sorts of subjects to educate ourselves. However, we must make sure we learn directly from His word too. What did He teach us today? When was the last time He corrected us? If the Word of God never corrects us, it is either because we are as perfect as Christ or we are not listening.
Let’s not be corrupted by the world, by what we hear in the media and social media. Let’s learn from the Word and be corrected by God. The answer to our desires could be just behind an important life lesson.