We know what God expects of us, but when faced with pressing desires (like being in a relationship!), we sometimes lose the desire to remain faithful to God. Let’s look at the reasons why we should stay in holiness.
“Give me this bowl of lentils, or I’ll die!”, urged Esau. He was coming back from the fields, he was hungry, and his eyes were on the pot. Nothing mattered to him anymore. We all have had similar moments. Loneliness weighs on us, and we want a partner right away! We watch the years go by, our bodies aging, and we become just as pessimistic. “I don’t want to die single!” or without children. We only see our desire; our emotional hunger blinds us.
Then comes the proposal. “But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day” (Genesis 25:31 NKJV). “I know a beautiful single woman, but she doesn’t believe in God…” Or we start to consider an overnight fling or artificial insemination to get pregnant. A proposal to satisfy a pressing need that requires us to abandon our position in Christ.
Esau immediately agreed, without thinking about it. And the consequence was not immediate. It was several years later when Esau lost the paternal blessing, that he found himself wandering and became his brother’s servant (Genesis 27:39-40). When we give in, we don’t always see the consequences immediately. Our desire is satisfied, and we go on with our life without regret. It is often several years later, when we cannot turn back, that we realize how much we have lost in accepting this momentary solution, out of God’s will. When we look at another single in our church who makes this bad choice, and we see that they suffer no immediate consequences (they look very happy with their atheist spouse), we are confused and even tempted to do the same.
The problem here is that we view God’s demands as repressive instead of seeing them as protective. We watch our appetite instead of our position in Christ. We look at the responsibilities of our salvation instead of looking at our privileges. So let’s talk about it! What are the privileges of being a child of God? -We have unconditional access to the Father; He is our “Abba”, who enjoys spending time with us (Romans 8:15); -We are no longer alone: we have brothers, sisters, mothers who help us, encourage us and edify us (Luke 8:21, Ephesians 2:19); -We are co-heirs of eternal life and the promises (Romans 8:17, Hebrews 6:12); -We have authority over sin. We are no longer slaves (Romans 6:6); -We have the Holy Spirit with us: His power, His comfort and all His virtues (Acts 1:8, John 14:26, Galatians 5:22);
And many others! God shares His secrets and wisdom with us, covers us with His love and forgiveness, equips us to accomplish important work for the Kingdom. To resist temptation and remain in holiness, we must keep our eyes on our privileges, on the blessings we have as children of God as Moses did! “ Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26 NKJV). If your body and your emotions are hungry, it may be because your mind is hungry. Go, devour the Word of God, feast on its promises, and you’ll see with a clearer vision then.