From Inquire to Desire

"For the Lord knoweth they way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish" (Psalm 1:6)

It is not enough to inquire about the power of the crucified life and the Spirit-filled life. It is not enough to want to - it must be desired and claimed above everything else. There must be an abandonment to Jesus Christ to realize it. The individual must want the fullness of Christ with such desire that he will turn his back on whatever else matter in his life and walk straight to the arms of Jesus!

So much for the case of the rich young ruler. His veil was taken away and he turned from Jesus Christ. He was still the hypocrite, still a covetous man, a money-lover, a breaker of the law. Above all, he was still a sinner, and Christless.

He had to pay a great price to keep what he loved most. We have no idea in terms of money and land and possessions what the rich young ruler paid in his refusal to follow Jesus.

The secret of a Christlike life lies partly in the deep longing for it. We grow like the ideals that we admire. We reach unconsciously at last the things we aspire to. Ask God to give you a high conception of the character of Christ and an intense desire to be like Him and you will never rest until you reach your ideal.

~A. W. Tozer~