The Essence of the Christian Faith

"One thing do I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." -Psalm 27:4

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" -Psalm 42:1-2

"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you... my soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you." -Psalm 63:3, 5

The writers of these psalms speak of a connection with God that is both mesmerizing and frustrating. It is mesmerizing because they describe a depth and a passion for God that I have yet to experience. It is frustrating because they describe a depth and a passion for God that I have yet to experience. At times these words are inspiring, and I long to understand their meaning. While at other times these words are disappointing, because I feel like I have never felt this way about God.

In Psalm 27:4, King David writes in the day of trouble that the one thing he seeks is to be in the presence of the Lord. He does not ask for a victory in battle. He does not ask for a diplomatic solution. He simply asks to spend his time in God's holy presence, gazing endlessly at His beauty. Even as I write, I sense this passionate longing welling up within me to do the same thing. Yet, on the other side of the coin I recognize that I so often do not desire God in this way. One thing David asks of the Lord? One thing? So many times the "one thing" I seek is to binge watch a Netflix show, or indulge in a lustful thought, or eat a Braum's double-cheeseburger.

I think this brings us closer to the point oddly enough. C. S. Lewis writes in The Weight of Glory, "It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us... we are far too easily pleased." Infinite joy is offered to us?! Now here's the rub, the reason more people do not passionately pursue after God in this way is because they are filling their passions with something else (drink, sex, ambition, Netflix, fast-food, etc.). Little do they realize that the most wonderful, beautiful, and fulfilling thing is found in God alone.

This is something the psalmists understood. "Your love is better than life itself" they say. Therefore "my soul thirsts for you." "The only thing I want in this life, the one thing I want, is to dwell in your presence and endlessly gaze at your beauty" David comments.

C. S. Lewis calls this an "appetite for God." John Piper calls it a "desire for God." And Jack Deere prefers the term a "passion for Jesus." This is the essence of the Christian faith. A deep, passionate, loving relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is what life is all about. The Bible makes it clear that all of humanity has a longing in its heart. Every person has a "hunger" for something. That something is the ultimate desire to be fulfilled. The Bible likes to use metaphors and other figures of speech about "hunger" and "thirst" to describe this human longing. What makes Scripture so unique, however, is that it states that God alone is able to fill that longing.

The reason why we get sucked into toxic relationships, Netflix binge sessions, pornography, video games, shopping sprees, our careers, and the like is because we are trying to fill our hearts and desires with something other than God. The issue is not that our other desires are too strong, but that our desire for God is too weak. This is why a passion for Jesus is so important. If we truly knew and understood the joy of being in a relationship the Lord, then we wouldn't go chasing after such frivolous things. Now, to be clear, watching a show or pursuing a career are not bad things in themselves. The issue is whether or not God reigns unchallenged in your life. We more willingly say yes to giving things up when we know something better is waiting on the other side. We are more willing to place God at the center our lives, as well as first in our decisions, when we taste and see how good and wonderful and powerful and beautiful He is.

So how do we develop an appetite for God the way the Bible prescribes? Read these words by Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I hope you can recognize that Jesus is inviting you into his presence. He wants to spend time with you. It is in his presence that we experience refreshment, rejuvenation, restoration, and revitalization. In a lot of Christian circles, spending time with God is referred to as "having a quiet time." Chuck Miller calls it "entering the Soul Room." There in the Soul Room, in a quiet place of solitude where we can pray and reading God's Word, we're reminded of how we are deeply and unconditionally loved by the Father. Our worth is affirmed and reaffirmed. It is in the Soul Room, in the presence of God, that we can confess our sins and find forgiveness (1 John 1:9). When we read the Word, we discover principles and truths that give us guidance on how to handle life's circumstances (2 Tim. 3:16). This is what is meant by the words "come," "take my yoke," and "learn." When we come into the presence of Jesus we are refreshed. When we take on his yoke, we are joining Him in his work. And when we learn from him, we grow in wisdom. I believe this is the beauty which King David spoke of.

This is the essence of the Christian faith: Developing a passion for Jesus so much so that it fuels your decisions, desires, actions, and thought life. When we pursue a relationship with Christ and are filled with His love to the point of overflowing, we act and treat others from that overflow. We won't run to other things to try to satisfy our souls. We'll continuously run to Jesus.

This is something that I have not mastered, nor feel all the time, but it's a truth I've embraced and try to grow in each day.

I hope this encourages you and I pray you develop an ever increasing appetite for God.