Desire Good Deeds

I was reading a book by Clement, who is regarded as the first Church Father. It is not included in the canon of Scriptures that make up our Bible. Living during the 1st century AD, he wrote about the impact of Christianity. His writings are intriguing, and today, I came across something that resonated with me.

He was writing about the suffering that believers endured. Then he writes, “Thus a deep and luxurious peace was given to all, and an insatiable desire for good deeds, and a full outpouring of the Holy Spirit was upon all of you.” His statement about “an insatiable desire for good deeds” leaped off the page. Therefore, I shall briefly write about this.

Action

Perhaps you have had an insatiable desire for a Chick-fil-A sandwich or theater-style popcorn. Let’s face it: we all have something (godly) that carries an insatiable desire for gratification to each of us.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:10

In our new nature, given to us by Christ Jesus, is that of having “an insatiable desire for good deeds.’ This goes beyond prayer or talking about good ideas. It is you establishing and participating in a GriefShare group at your church or helping widows with home repair tasks, or maybe it’s keeping $5 bills in your pocket so you always have something to give to beggars.

Conclusion

The possibilities are endless, and they will remain endless unless you and I yield to that insatiable desire Jesus gave us for good deeds. I pray that our hearts will never be so calloused that we learn to ignore the Holy Spirit’s prompting to “do good deeds” for all who are created in God’s image.