Oh, I want one of those!

An American company had a difficult time retaining local employees working in its Panama factory. The laborers in that part of the world lived in an agrarian, barter economy, but their new employer paid them in cash.

Lots of cash.

At least, a lot for them. At the end of one week of work, the laborers found themselves with more cash than most of them had ever seen. Because of that, many of the employees would quit their position at the factory, being satisfied they had accumulated all the cash they would need.

Troubled with the high rate of employee turnover, company executives brainstormed ways to retain the needed workforce. The leaders came up with a brilliant idea: they gave each of the factory employees a Sears catalog.

Employees stopped quitting, and retention of workers skyrocketed.

That’s because after the workers saw all the items in the catalog they could get for themselves if they had the cash, they kept working to make more money to get more things.

People feed their desires.

And sources feed us new desires.

That’s one reason why the Word of God is infinitely superior to a Sears catalog: it stirs in us better desires. For example, the Apostle Paul urges us to fix our thoughts in such a way that it would shape our desires:

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise,” Philippians 4:8.

By looking into the Word of God, and building new longings from it, our desires change. Paul wrote, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there,” Galatians 5:24.

And those who have been adopted by God are experiencing God’s transforming work on their desires: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him,” Philippians 2:13.

What is the source of your desires? What desires are you feeding?

Scotty