I was listening to a radio sports talk show on my drive to work this morning and they were talking about the National Basketball Association’s championship game tonight between the favored Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs.  The Miami Heat, if they lose tonight, will lose the championship series.  So the commentator stated that Miami’s top three players have not been playing well, and the first thing they need is MORE DESIRE to win.

It was funny to me that they would need MORE DESIRE playing in the championship game of one of the greatest sports.  It’s as if the Miami Heat felt that just by being there they should win it all.   It’s as if by their name, the other team should roll over and give up the game.  But it’s not how it works in sports, just as it’s not how it works in our spiritual life, or any other part of our life.  We cannot just show up!

When people make a decision to become a Christian, sometimes (maybe most times) they feel as if they have done all they need to do to be a Christian.  They are heaven bound… so that’s that!  But this couldn’t be further from the truth.  We need to live out our faith as our actions will show others what we believe (or really don’t believe.)  But sometimes we don’t have the desire to take the next steps like becoming a regular active part of a community of faith, or learning to  worship God alone, or spending time with others in the study of God’s word, or spending time learning how to live a disciplined life as a believer of Jesus Christ.

So then I say, PRAY FOR THE DESIRE!!!  The desire to be more like Jesus, the desire to find and be a part of a faith community, the desire to read and study God’s word with others, the desire to worship God alone.  It’s all right to pray for the desire… “God, give me the desire to be fully Christian in all that I say and do!”  And if you pray this earnestly, I know God will quickly answer your prayer in an unmistakable way.