Luke 22:15 - And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;… NASB
Philippians 1:23 - But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;… NASB 1 Thes. 2:17 - But we, brethren, having been bereft of you for a short while — in person, not in spirit — were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. NASB
This is the definition from Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance. We have taken the word "lust" and always connect it to something that is bad, but you can see from the scripture references above that both Jesus and the apostle Paul lusted, but not in an evil way.
He thought about it and He thought about it "earnestly," the text says. He thought about it, He was going to announce being betrayed by Judas (vs.22), and denied by Peter (vs.34). Wouldn't it be great if we thought earnestly about partaking of the Lord's Supper with our brothers and sisters on the Lord's Day? Have we ever thought about taking the Lord's Supper the week before? At times, I am guilty of not thinking much about it until Sunday. Shame on me!
I have had strong desires (lusts) to go to Heaven and I have had the same strong desires (lusts) to stay here on earth. The second way he "lusted" was about seeing his Christian brothers and sisters in Thessaloniki. I have experienced this type of great desire (lusts) also. It was when I departed Mbale, Uganda, Africa after teaching God's Word to some of the greatest brothers and sisters in Christ that I have ever met. It was that great desire (lust) that took me back four more times. One of my best friends, Dennis Okoth, lived and worked there. What an honor it was for me to serve the Lord with this gracious brother in the Lord. He has now moved to another ministry in Kenya and may the Lord continue to bless him, his wife Mary, and that special ministry. When I lust about Africa, I could say it like the apostle Paul, it is "with great desire to see your face."
Don't lust in a bad way. Lust in a good way. Hopefully, you will be lusting about taking the Lord's Supper, going to Heaven to be with Jesus, or going to see some family, friends or brothers and sisters in Christ. Think About These: Christianity is a way of walking as well as a way of talking. What can't be done by advice can often be done by example. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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