What do you desire? Where is the longing of the flesh taking you? Do you see the Lord more clearly or has His glory begun to fade in your sight? What is the fruit being produced by the fertilizer sown into the ground of where we are planted? Are we good grounds keepers or are we slack in the work required of us that by the sweat of our brow we must labor?
Bunyan would have us examining the fruit we are producing…..
“As the tree is known by its fruit, so is the state of a man’s heart known by his desires. The desires of the righteous are the touchstone or standard of Christian sincerity—the evidence of the new birth—the spiritual barometer of faith and grace—and the springs of obedience. Christ and him crucified is the ground of all our hopes—the foundation upon which all our desires after God and holiness are built—and the root by which they are nourished. It is from this principle of Divine life which flows from Christ to his members, that these desires and struggles after holiness of thought and conduct arise, and are kept alive. They prove a fountain of consolation to the harassed and tried believer; for if we are in the sense of this scripture ‘righteous,’ we shall have those desires to enjoy the presence of God on earth, and with him felicity in heaven, which the voice of the Omnipotent declareth shall be granted. O! the blessedness of those in whose hearts are planted ‘the desires of the righteous.’ “
-John Bunyan, The Works of, Volume 1; page 743; from The Desire of the Righteous Granted; buy the 3 volume set here, or read here for free
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“A man’s heart is known by his desires.” So true. Great post … going to use it on my blog … with credit to you of course!
Thanks Jude!
I saw in this quote that Bunyan seemed to be implying that the righteous desires we see in God’s people (us) are almost an encouraging form of down payment to point us to the reality of our salvation that will be perfected once we die. It’s beautiful and gracious that He gives us anything of the glories and joys of Heaven before we get there being still tethered to this fading garment of flesh. Thank God that we have any joy here at all!