Nobody Looked at the Lord

On the third Sunday of October the message was brought by a guest, Dr. Rajasingh, who serves with the Gideons ministry, which places Bibles in schools, hospitals and prisons. He thanked the church and its pastor for welcoming the ministry, committed the hour to the Lord in prayer, and preached on the two readings of the morning: the twelve spies in Numbers 13 and the feeding of the five thousand in John 6.

The Basket That Would Not Hold Water (தண்ணீர் நிற்காத கூடை)

He began with a story he had read that morning; whether it actually happened, he said, he could not say. An old man read his Bible constantly, and a friend of his mocked him for it every day. "You read and read. What have you got out of it? Do you know everything now?" The old man never answered back. One day the mockery went further than usual, and the old man said, come with me, I will show you.

Nearby lay a dirty cane basket, the open-weave kind full of holes, that had been used for carrying coal. It was black through and through. The old man said, fill this basket with water and bring it to me. The friend protested: it is all holes, how can it hold water? Bring it anyway, said the old man. So the friend went to a tap, opened it, and held the basket under it. The water ran straight out. He came back: it cannot be done. Try somehow, said the old man. The friend tried his hand here, tried his hand there, struggled for a long while, and in the end brought the basket back and set it down with not a drop in it.

Then the old man said: you could not carry even a little water in this basket. Scripture is like that for me. I have read it for so many years, and if you ask me how many children Moses had, I will not be able to tell you; what this one did, what that one did, I may not remember. But look at the basket now. It was coal-black when you picked it up. Every time you went to fill it, the water ran through it and carried the dirt away, and now it has come back clean and white. One thing I do know: every time I read, my sins are washed and I am made holy, and day by day I become more like Jesus Christ. That is what reading the Bible is.

So the children of God must read the Word: every day, studying it, meditating on it, memorising it. It will make our lives holy, though we may not be able to explain how. If someone set an examination on the Bible today, perhaps none of us would pass. Some children bring home high marks in Scripture tests and gain nothing by it. The gain is when the Word works inside us and washes away our sin.

A Sign Points Beyond Itself (அடையாளம் அப்பால் சுட்டிக்காட்டுகிறது)

The passage for the morning was John 6, the miracle in which the Lord Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. We say five thousand, but verse 10 counts only the men.

"Then Jesus said, 'Make the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand." - John 6:10 (NKJV)

"இயேசு: ஜனங்களை உட்காரவையுங்கள் என்றார். அந்த இடம் மிகுந்த புல்லுள்ளதாயிருந்தது. பந்தியிருந்த புருஷர்கள் ஏறக்குறைய ஐயாயிரம்பேராயிருந்தார்கள்." - யோவான் 6:10 (TAOVBSI)

In almost any gathering, whether a church service or a gospel meeting, the women outnumber the men; he reckoned perhaps two to one. Add the women and then the children, and he estimated that something like twenty or twenty-five thousand people ate that day from five loaves and two fish.

During His three and a half years of ministry the Lord did many miracles, and each of the four Gospel writers set down what he knew and what came to his heart. The water turned to wine at Cana appears only in John. Many healings and deliverances appear in one Gospel or two. Apart from the resurrection itself, this is the only miracle written in all four: Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6. That alone marks it out as important.

Why does the Lord do miracles at all, and why were they written down? John tells us:

"And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." - John 20:30-31 (NKJV)

"இந்தப் புஸ்தகத்தில் எழுதியிராத வேறு அநேக அற்புதங்களையும் இயேசு தமது சீஷருக்கு முன்பாகச் செய்தார். இயேசு தேவனுடைய குமாரனாகிய கிறிஸ்து என்று நீங்கள் விசுவாசிக்கும்படியாகவும், விசுவாசித்து அவருடைய நாமத்தினாலே நித்தியஜீவனை அடையும்படியாகவும், இவைகள் எழுதப்பட்டிருக்கிறது." - யோவான் 20:30-31 (TAOVBSI)

When we receive a miracle we praise the Lord's name, we testify, we say hallelujah, and that is right. Some do not even do that; the moment the miracle is over, they forget it. But more important than all of it is that we believe in Jesus Christ and receive eternal life. A miracle does not stop at the miracle. Through it our faith must grow.

The English Bible calls these works signs. A sign is something you follow, not something you stop under. Standing near Pavoorchatram you see a signboard reading Keelapavoor. Nobody stands under the board and stays there. You read it and go in the direction it points, and a little further on there is another board with the same name, and you keep going. Every sign the Lord did, every miracle, has the same purpose: to bring us near to Him so that we receive eternal life. We must not take the miracle and sit down on the spot where we received it. We must grow in our spiritual life.

The Size of the Problem (பிரச்சனையின் அளவு)

"Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?' But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do." - John 6:5-6 (NKJV)

"இயேசு தம்முடைய கண்களை ஏறெடுத்து, திரளான ஜனங்கள் தம்மிடத்தில் வருகிறதைக் கண்டு, பிலிப்புவை நோக்கி: இவர்கள் சாப்பிடத்தக்கதாக அப்பங்களை எங்கே கொள்ளலாம் என்று கேட்டார். தாம் செய்யப்போகிறதை அறிந்திருந்தும், அவனைச் சோதிக்கும்படி இப்படிக் கேட்டார்." - யோவான் 6:5-6 (TAOVBSI)

The Lord is the one doing everything in this passage, and He already knows what He will do. So why ask? To test. Job says that when God has tested him he will come forth as gold:

"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." - Job 23:10 (NKJV)

"ஆனாலும் நான் போகும் வழியை அவர் அறிவார்; அவர் என்னைச் சோதித்தபின் நான் பொன்னாக விளங்குவேன்." - யோபு 23:10 (TAOVBSI)

In the same way the Lord meant to strengthen the faith of His disciples, and so He tested it first. The gospel had been preached, the crowd was hungry, and the easy thing would have been to send them all home. Instead the Lord said to the disciples, you give them something to eat (Mark 6:37). Philip answered:

"Philip answered Him, 'Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.'" - John 6:7 (NKJV)

"பிலிப்பு அவருக்குப் பிரதியுத்தரமாக: இவர்களில் ஒவ்வொருவன் கொஞ்சங்கொஞ்சம் எடுத்துக்கொண்டாலும், இருநூறு பணத்து அப்பங்களும் இவர்களுக்குப் போதாதே என்றான்." - யோவான் 6:7 (TAOVBSI)

A denarius was a day's wage. Put a day's wage today at around eight hundred rupees, and two hundred denarii comes to something like one lakh sixty thousand rupees. They did not have that kind of money, and even if they had carried it, no shop in that place would have had lakhs of rupees' worth of bread ready to sell. Where would they buy it? It could not be done. Philip looked at the problem and saw how big it was. He measured its size.

Then Andrew spoke:

"There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" - John 6:9 (NKJV)

"இங்கே ஒரு பையன் இருக்கிறான், அவன் கையில் ஐந்து வாற்கோதுமை அப்பங்களும் இரண்டு மீன்களும் உண்டு, ஆனாலும் அவைகள் இத்தனை ஜனங்களுக்கு எம்மாத்திரம் என்றான்." - யோவான் 6:9 (TAOVBSI)

Philip saw the size of the problem. Andrew saw what was in hand, the resources available, and concluded that it was too little. The problem is big; what we have is small. And whom did neither of them look at? The Lord Jesus Christ was standing right beside them. Only four chapters earlier, in John 2, they had watched Him turn water into wine, and He was standing there now. They did not have that faith. One saw how big the problem was, the other saw how little they had, and nobody looked at the Lord.

Our lives are often the same. A problem comes and we are frightened: it is so big, what can we do? What we have is so little, what can we do? On Monday morning twenty-five thousand rupees is due at the bank. We count what is in the house: two thousand and seventeen rupees. We count again, and sometimes it comes to two thousand and sixteen. We count and count, and the one we do not look at is the Lord. He promised, I am with you, and on the day we were saved He came to dwell in our hearts. Still we do not look at Him.

The Giants and the Grasshoppers (இராட்சதரும் வெட்டுக்கிளிகளும்)

The Old Testament reading tells the same story. Moses was leading Israel toward the land of promise, and before they entered he chose a leader from each of the twelve tribes and sent them to spy out the land (Numbers 13:2). All twelve went. They came back carrying a cluster of grapes so large that it took two men to carry it on a pole (Numbers 13:23). The land, they said, is excellent; it truly flows with milk and honey. But whom did we see there? Giants.

"But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.'" - Numbers 13:31 (NKJV)

"அவனோடேகூடப் போய்வந்த மனிதரோ: நாம் போய் அந்த ஜனங்களோடே எதிர்க்க நம்மாலே கூடாது; அவர்கள் நம்மைப்பார்க்கிலும் பலவான்கள் என்றார்கள்." - எண்ணாகமம் 13:31 (TAOVBSI)

The land was good, but the people in it were huge, men like Goliath, eight or ten feet tall. And how did the spies see themselves?

"There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." - Numbers 13:33 (NKJV)

"அங்கே இராட்சதப் பிறவியான ஏனாக்கின் குமாரராகிய இராட்சதரையும் கண்டோம்; நாங்கள் எங்கள் பார்வைக்கு வெட்டுக்கிளிகளைப்போல் இருந்தோம், அவர்கள் பார்வைக்கும் அப்படியே இருந்தோம் என்று சொல்லி, இப்படி இஸ்ரவேல் புத்திரருக்குள்ளே தாங்கள் சுற்றிப்பார்த்து வந்த தேசத்தைக்குறித்து துர்ச்செய்தி பரம்பச்செய்தார்கள்." - எண்ணாகமம் 13:33 (TAOVBSI)

Grasshoppers used to be everywhere in our fields; with all the spraying of pesticides you hardly see them now. A grasshopper is a tiny thing. Beside it, picture a man seven, eight, ten feet tall. He is big and we are small.

And whom did they not see? The Lord. He had said, I am with you, and He had led them out of Egypt. In the year and more since they left, they had seen the ten plagues on Pharaoh, the Red Sea split in two, the manna that fed them every day. They had seen all of it, and still they had no faith. They did not look at the Lord. They looked at the giants: look how big he is, we cannot do it. So ten of the twelve, afraid of the giants, spread a false report among the people. The land is good, it flows with milk and honey, but we cannot conquer it. They saw the size of the problem, they saw how small they were, and they did not see the Lord.

Two of the twelve, Joshua and Caleb, looked at the Lord.

"Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, 'Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.'" - Numbers 13:30 (NKJV)

"அப்பொழுது காலேப் மோசேக்கு முன்பாக ஜனங்களை அமர்த்தி: நாம் உடனே போய் அதைச் சுதந்தரித்துக்கொள்ளுவோம்; நாம் அதை எளிதாய் ஜெயித்துக்கொள்ளலாம் என்றான்." - எண்ணாகமம் 13:30 (TAOVBSI)

If the Lord gives it to us, we can win it. The people of that land, they said, will be bread for us:

"Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them." - Numbers 14:9 (NKJV)

"கர்த்தருக்கு விரோதமாகமாத்திரம் கலகம்பண்ணாதிருங்கள்; அந்த தேசத்தின் ஜனங்களுக்கு நீங்கள் பயப்படவேண்டியதில்லை; அவர்கள் நமக்கு இரையாவார்கள்; அவர்களைக் காத்த நிழல் அவர்களை விட்டு விலகிப்போயிற்று; கர்த்தர் நம்மோடே இருக்கிறார்; அவர்களுக்குப் பயப்படவேண்டியதில்லை என்றார்கள்." - எண்ணாகமம் 14:9 (TAOVBSI)

The Lord gave those two the victory. The ten who spread the bad report died not long after by a plague before the Lord (Numbers 14:37). The children of God saw the problem too, and they saw how little they had in hand, but they also saw the Lord who stood behind them.

Scripture is full of the same contrast. Every child who has been to Sunday school knows David and Goliath. Everyone was afraid of Goliath: he is enormous, we can do nothing. But David encouraged them all, even King Saul. The Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear, he said, will deliver me from this uncircumcised Philistine (1 Samuel 17:34-37). And to Goliath himself:

"Then David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.'" - 1 Samuel 17:45 (NKJV)

"அதற்குத் தாவீது: பெலிஸ்தனை நோக்கி: நீ பட்டயத்தோடும், ஈட்டியோடும், கேடகத்தோடும் என்னிடத்தில் வருகிறாய்; நானோ நீ நிந்தித்த இஸ்ரவேலுடைய இராணுவங்களின் தேவனாகிய சேனைகளுடைய கர்த்தரின் நாமத்திலே உன்னிடத்தில் வருகிறேன்." - 1 சாமுவேல் 17:45 (TAOVBSI)

He went out in faith and won.

Back on the hillside in John 6, the Lord asks His disciples, what shall we do? And they do not look at Him. Yet the Lord did not hold back His mercy and grace because their faith was small. He did a great miracle there. He took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to the disciples to hand out, and the whole crowd, twenty thousand or more by the speaker's reckoning, ate until they were satisfied.

So when problems come in our own lives, where is our faith? On Sunday we can come to church and praise the Lord and sing. On Monday, facing our own problems in our own lives, what does our faith look like? Do we put our trust in the Lord, or are we frightened by the size of the need and the money it calls for? Are we shaken because we do not have it? Do not trust in man or in anyone of this world. When we hold on to the name of the Lord, He works miracles, as He did on that hillside.

What the Miracle Teaches (இந்த அற்புதம் கற்றுத்தரும் பாடங்கள்)

The Word washes us clean, as the basket was washed, and it also teaches us new lessons. This one incident holds several.

Give what is in your hand (உன் கையில் இருப்பதைக் கொடு)

The Lord took the five loaves and two fish from the boy, and the boy gave them. The Lord could have made a miracle out of nothing; at a word, bread could have fallen from the sky. Yet He took what the boy had, broke it and blessed it.

"And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted." - John 6:11 (NKJV)

"இயேசு அந்த அப்பங்களை எடுத்து, ஸ்தோத்திரம்பண்ணி, சீஷர்களிடத்தில் கொடுத்தார்; சீஷர்கள் பந்தியிருந்தவர்களுக்குக் கொடுத்தார்கள்; அப்படியே மீன்களையும் அவர் எடுத்து அவர்களுக்கு வேண்டியமட்டும் கொடுத்தார்." - யோவான் 6:11 (TAOVBSI)

If we want to see God work in our lives, we must give Him even the little we have. He does not demand everything at once, but we must be ready to give: our life, our studies, our worldly goods, our influence, all of it placed in His hands for the glory of His name, whether it is large or small. The boy did not ask, what can the Lord do with something this small? He simply handed it over. Whether it is little or much, when we offer our lives to the Lord, the things in our hands, our bodies, our education, our property, and place them in His hands, He takes them, blesses them, and turns them into a blessing for many. Through one small boy's offering the Lord did a great thing.

Order and discipline (ஒழுங்கும் கிரமமும்)

John does not mention this, but Luke does: the Lord had the crowd sit down in rows.

"For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, 'Make them sit down in groups of fifty.'" - Luke 9:14 (NKJV)

"ஏறக்குறைய ஐயாயிரம் புருஷர் இருந்தார்கள். அவர்களைப் பந்திக்கு ஐம்பது ஐம்பதுபேராக உட்காரும்படி சொல்லுங்கள் என்று தம்முடைய சீஷர்களுக்குச் சொன்னார்." - லூக்கா 9:14 (TAOVBSI)

Fifty to a row on the grass, and then the food was given out. When the Lord does something, He looks for discipline and order. He expects them in our church life and in our personal life: in how we dress, in everything we do, sincerely and with care. Keep time. If church begins at nine, when should we arrive? We should be here at nine.

Discipline matters a great deal. Our weddings and functions should carry the same order, so that anyone watching can tell this is a Christian occasion. Yet look around. Weddings fixed to an auspicious hour, nine-thirty to eleven, are finished by eleven. Ours? The card says ten o'clock, and the bridegroom arrives at half past twelve. Before the wedding is even over, people are pushing against each other at the dining hall, two of them standing behind each chair while we eat. A life without discipline, without order, is not what the Lord looks for. He wants things done systematically, and we should try to do the same.

Thanksgiving first (முதலாவது ஸ்தோத்திரம்)

When the Lord took the bread, the first thing He did was give thanks. Again and again in the Gospels, when Jesus speaks to His Father, thanksgiving comes first; even at the Last Supper we read that He took bread and gave thanks. So whatever is in our hands, small or large, we hand it to the Lord and remain thankful children.

When a problem comes, rather than praying only, Lord, solve this problem, we can pray: Lord, thank You that You are going to solve it. Thank You that You know this problem. Thank You that You know it and will bring me deliverance. Instead of, Lord, I have an examination tomorrow, give me wisdom, the student can pray, thank You that You are going to give me wisdom. This is not saying the word "thanks" over and over. It is prayer from the depth of the heart, at every hour and in every situation, with thanksgiving always in it.

Blessing that satisfies (திருப்தியான ஆசீர்வாதம்)

"So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, 'Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.'" - John 6:12 (NKJV)

"அவர்கள் திருப்தியடைந்தபின்பு, அவர் தம்முடைய சீஷர்களை நோக்கி: ஒன்றும் சேதமாய்ப் போகாதபடிக்கு மீதியான துணிக்கைகளைச் சேர்த்துவையுங்கள் என்றார்." - யோவான் 6:12 (TAOVBSI)

They were filled. The Lord's blessing always fills our joy; it is never a half-blessing. We can strive for something on our own, collect a recommendation here and another there, and perhaps the thing we wanted will come. But it will not satisfy.

He spoke of young people he has met. Have you studied? Yes. What? B.E. What will you do now? Group 3 is coming up, I will write it; Group 2 is coming up, I will write that. A government job pays well, so that is the plan. That is our worldly thinking. But is it the Lord's will? He may have different work for you. He may have planned for you to start a business of your own and earn five or ten times what that government salary pays. When we hold to our own idea, this and nothing else, and stand against His will, we can miss the blessing He meant, and what we get instead is a blessing that does not satisfy.

The blessing Jesus Christ gives always satisfies and always brings joy, whether it comes as little or as much. When we live by His will, contentment stays with us at all times, and we stop complaining about our job or our situation, whatever the problem. If we want a satisfied life, we put our faith in the Lord and walk as He tells us.

Let nothing be wasted (ஒன்றும் சேதமாய்ப் போகக்கூடாது)

"Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten." - John 6:13 (NKJV)

"அந்தப்படியே அவர்கள் சேர்த்து, வாற்கோதுமை அப்பங்கள் ஐந்தில் அவர்கள் சாப்பிட்டு மீதியான துணிக்கைகளினாலே பன்னிரண்டு கூடைகளை நிரப்பினார்கள்." - யோவான் 6:13 (TAOVBSI)

After everyone had eaten, pieces of bread lay scattered over the grass, and the Lord had them all picked up: twelve baskets, perhaps one in the hand of each of the twelve disciples. Why? The verse before gives the reason: so that nothing is lost. Many English versions put it plainly: let nothing be wasted. The Lord does not like food to be wasted.

So we must not throw food away. Father worked and brought the money home, Mother prayed and laboured and cooked, and the food was placed in front of us. How must it feel to see it thrown outside? Christians above all, who say we are saved and obey the Lord's word, should waste nothing of the food we have prayed over. Some push aside what they do not like. Look at the leaves at a Christian wedding and you will see half a piece of chicken left on each one, thrown out with the leaf. The Lord says it clearly: gather it up so that nothing is lost. What did they do with the leftovers that day? Perhaps they fed them to the goats and cattle. Maybe you do not like bitter gourd; but Mother made it for you, so out of love and respect for her, you swallow it. We should not waste, and we should gently advise those who do. This verse was written for us.

Seeking Him for the Bread (அப்பத்திற்காக அவரைத் தேடுதல்)

The last verse is the most important one.

"Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone." - John 6:15 (NKJV)

"ஆதலால் அவர்கள் வந்து, தம்மை ராஜாவாக்கும்படிப் பிடித்துக்கொண்டுபோக மனதாயிருக்கிறார்களென்று இயேசு அறிந்து, மறுபடியும் விலகி, தனியே மலையின்மேல் ஏறினார்." - யோவான் 6:15 (TAOVBSI)

Many in that crowd had eaten well, and now they had a plan. Make Jesus king, and every day there will be bread and fish, and nobody will have to work. So they went looking for Him to make Him king. He slipped away from them and crossed to the other side of the sea, and the whole crowd went running after Him (John 6:24-25). Why? Not for the word of God, but out of laziness: if only we can make Him king, we can eat without working. Then Jesus told them:

"Jesus answered them and said, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.'" - John 6:26-27 (NKJV)

"இயேசு அவர்களுக்குப் பிரதியுத்தரமாக: நீங்கள் அற்புதங்களைக் கண்டதினால் அல்ல, நீங்கள் அப்பம் புசித்துத் திருப்தியானதினாலேயே என்னைத் தேடுகிறீர்கள் என்று மெய்யாகவே மெய்யாகவே உங்களுக்குச் சொல்லுகிறேன். அழிந்துபோகிற போஜனத்திற்காக அல்ல, நித்தியஜீவன்வரைக்கும் நிலைநிற்கிற போஜனத்திற்காகவே கிரியை நடப்பியுங்கள்; அதை மனுஷகுமாரன் உங்களுக்குக் கொடுப்பார்; அவரைப் பிதாவாகிய தேவன் முத்திரித்திருக்கிறார் என்றார்." - யோவான் 6:26-27 (TAOVBSI)

The food that perishes lasts a little while in this world. Is that the only reason we follow the Lord Jesus Christ? Only for the things of this world? We should think about it. The Lord is waiting to give eternal life. Of course He also gives the things of this world; He is the one who gives them, He is the blessing. He said so Himself:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

"முதலாவது தேவனுடைய ராஜ்யத்தையும் அவருடைய நீதியையும் தேடுங்கள், அப்பொழுது இவைகளெல்லாம் உங்களுக்குக்கூடக் கொடுக்கப்படும்." - மத்தேயு 6:33 (TAOVBSI)

Food, clothing, a house and a home are secondary things, and He is ready to give them. But what must we seek? The life that does not perish. Work for eternal life, He said.

These people were following the Lord for the food that perishes, for the things of this world, and Jesus gave them a serious warning: do not seek Me for this. Today this is a large problem in the churches. Slowly, little by little, a false teaching is creeping in: accept Jesus Christ and all your problems will be over; you are the Lord's son, the Lord's daughter, so He will give you a big car, He will give you this and that. People are being drawn to follow the Lord for the blessings of this world.

But the Lord's first aim is eternal life. That is why the miracle was done at all: so that we would receive eternal life. So let us examine our lives this morning. The basket came back clean because the water kept running through it. In the same way the Lord has spoken to us through this word, and the speaker closed in the confidence that it had begun a change in those who heard it. He then led the church in prayer, praising God for His works and His word, and asking for strength, for disciplined lives, and for the grace to seek eternal life rather than the desires of this world.