About our original preference…

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. (NIV)

When we were born and we got hungry, we wanted to be fed. When we wanted to be fed as an infant we cried to let someone know we were hungry. Have we changed? When we get hungry as an adult, we want food. The difference is, for most of us, we do not cry to get fed as an adult like a baby cries to get fed. As an adult, we take action on our hunger by getting something to eat on our own or we hold off on our hunger until we are served a meal by someone else. However, our original preference of wanting what we want when we want it, all too often remains with us. As an adult we are supposed to control our emotions, our needs, and our wants. We are supposed to be able to hold off on what we want. Sin does not want us to hold off. Sin wants us to take what we want without regard for anything or anyone except ourselves. Our original preference in life is to be utterly and totally selfish. However, the pinnacle of the spiritual life is to go totally against our original preference of selfishness. At the pinnacle of spiritual life, we will experience the pain of doing without. However, the pain of doing without brings to us a righteous life and from our righteous life we will inherit an eternal life in Christ Jesus.