..... it is our own desires which determine the sizing and the attractiveness of various temptations. We set our thermostats as to temptations......

Each assertion of a righteous desire, each act of service, and each act of worship, however small and incremental, adds to our spiritual momentum. Like Newton’s Second Law, there is a transmitting of acceleration as well as a contagiousness associated with even the small acts of goodness.

It is up to us. God will facilitate, but He will not force........a loving God will work with us, but the initiating particle of desire which ignites the spark of resolve must be our own!

Desire denotes a real longing or craving. Hence righteous desires are much more than passive preferences or fleeting feelings. Of course our genes, circumstances, and environments matter very much, and they shape us significantly. Yet there remains an inner zone in which we are sovereign, unless we abdicate. In this zone lies the essence of our individuality and our personal accountability.

Therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity.

With eager heart and will on fire,
I fought to win my great desire;
"Peace shall be mine,'* I said; but life
Grew bitter in the weary strife.

My soul was tired, and my pride
Was wounded deep; to Heaven I cried,
"God grant me peace or I must die";
The dumb stars glittered no reply.

Broken at last, I bowed my head.
Forgetting all myself, and said,
"Whatever comes. His will be done";
And in that moment peace was won.

This is obvious with tennis or piano playing, where it is impossible to pretend. But it is not so obvious in emotional and spiritual areas. We can "pose" and put on a friend. We can pretend. And "for a while" we can get by with it - at least in public or on "one-night stands." We might even decieve ourselves. Yet, I believe that most of us know the truth of what we really are inside, as do some of those we live with and work around.

To relate effectively with our wife, husband, or children requires emotional strength, because we must learn to listen. Listening involves patience, openness and the desire to understand. And when we are really open, we run the risk that we may be changed - we may be influenced. And if we are so sure that we are gith, we don't wan to change. We find it easier ot be closed and to tell and dictate. It is easier to operate from our day two emotinal level and to give day six advice.