“What do you want?” This is the question Jesus asked in John 1:38. He is still asking this question today. If taken seriously and wrestled with sufficiently, this question will uncover what is truly going on inside each of us. This question is even more important than, what do you know or what do you believe. What we want will determine how we answer those other questions. This question - What do you want - is such an important question because it shapes and defines us. It is why we react the way we do or fail to respond at all. Tragically, far too many people are unsure or confused about what they want. Oh, there are driving desires in each of us, but they can function out of sight and go unexamined even by us. What we really want can be lost beneath layers of hurt, hurry or hassle. What we want gives birth to dreams that we may have long ago given up on. We can be left chasing things and investing enormous energy in that which does not really satisfy because it is not connected to what we really want. Jesus understands this better than anyone. It is why He compares Himself to the living water and the bread of life. He seeks to reconnect us with the deep longing that only He can satisfy. With no sense of achieving what we want, we end up arguing about what we know or believe. This leads to conflict. We can see this conflict in our society for example, as protestors clash with police even though both ostensibly want justice. But wanting justice is a layer that must be peeled back. Why do we want justice … How do we achieve justice? These are heart questions. Unless the heart is repaired, there can be no progress in this area. Seeking a repaired heart leads us wanting the only One who can do such a thing – Christ. Improving our thinking is not about making faith an intellectual process but awakening a deep longing for Christ. James K.A. Smith writes, “So discipleship is more a matter of hungering and thirsting than knowing and believing.” Often there is a gap between what we know and what we do. Can the reason be, because we have not really answered the question - what do you want? I encourage you to spend some time with that question. When Christ is the answer to the most important questions, we raise the bar on our discipleship.
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