LISA UPDIKE | GUEST I want, I want, I want! Usually when we hear those words we think of a selfish toddler, or…teenager…or even ourselves. But sometimes those are the very words that bring delight to the Lord. And dear sister, I have a feeling you have cried out just like I have with these strong desires: I want to be more like Jesus I want to love Jesus first and best I want to trust in the Lord with all my heart I want to delight in the Lord I want to love His law I want to rejoice in all circumstances I want…to rest in His goodness, to abide in the Lord, to be content in all things, to be anxious for nothing, to run the race marked out for me. One day, I want to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Sanctified Wants These “I want’s” bring joy to our Savior revealing that His Holy Spirit is already working in us. Only those who have been justified by grace through faith have these radically unselfish “I want’s.” By nature, we are corrupt in every part of our being. Without the saving work of the Holy Spirit, we want nothing to do with God. When we are unregenerate, we long for the life of ease, success, popularity, wealth. Without His work, we care only for our passions, and nothing for the wellbeing of others. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We may not have arrived yet, but the very fact that our longings have been transformed should encourage our hearts....