Character Calling: ConnectedSample

ABOVE ALL ELSE. Jesus’ first words in the Gospel of John are a question - “What do you want?” And his question can be directed to our hearts today.

So, what do you want?

Maybe you are jealous of your friend who has all the latest tech.

Perhaps you wanted the lead in the school play or that promotion at work, but someone else got it, and you are envious of their opportunity.

Or quite possibly, you wish you were better at [you fill in the blank] than your friends, and it makes you sad or angry that you aren’t good at those things.

You see, what we want - what we really want - reveals our desires and character - it steers our priorities, decisions on how we spend our time and money, and so much more! And it's not to say that all “wanting” is bad, but there is a time when it crosses over into an unhealthy “wanting” - where your desire to have what someone else has caused you to be discontent or unhappy with what you do have.

This is called coveting, and it is what God is warning the Israelites about in this 10th and final commandment.

The New Testament describes coveting by using the word envy and specifically tells us this has nothing to do with love!

Envy is wishing you had what someone else has and feeling unhappy or angry about it. Both envy and jealousy are roadblocks to us seeing and loving others as Christ commands and shows us through his life.

But we live in a world that draws us into envy and jealousy. Every time we click or scroll, we’re invited to look at what others have. This then opens the door for us to compare what others have with what we have…or don’t have, resulting in us feeling envious or jealous. And the more we scroll, the more we see and the more we covet. It can be a vicious cycle.

Let’s go back to Jesus’ question - “What do you want?”

In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us what we should want and seek. He says that above all else, we should first want and seek God’s Kingdom and righteousness, which ultimately leads us to Christ-like character. When we obey this command of Jesus, we can be content with what we have, celebrate the blessings that others have, and love our neighbor with all we have.

Consider: Take a moment and write down a few things you really want or are seeking. Then consider if any of those goals or desires are keeping you from loving someone as God calls us to love and seek God’s Kingdom and righteousness first. Spend some time reflecting on how you can make time to seek first the Kingdom of God and how you can practically live it out every day.