11 November 2014
A Real and Lasting Cure
1 John 2:15-16
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
All the world has to offer me is temporary pleasure and satisfaction and a dependency upon my own ability to achieve and possess. That is disappointing for the one who desires lasting pleasure and satisfaction and lacks in abilities to achieve and possess. There’s always someone somewhere better and with more. Thank God there is an alternative!
I love being a Christian. Having Jesus is in my life is the only way to have doubt mixed with trust, hope mixed with disbelief, and sadness mixed with joy. If someone without Jesus has doubt or sadness, that’s all they have is their doubt and sadness. They have to look to what is offered in life by the world to fill the holes in their heart. Their options include mind altering drugs prescription or otherwise, unreliable money, fleeting achievements as someone better comes along, uncertainty in the value of their possessions, relationship chasing, and suicide. There’s no hope, joy, peace, or comfort in any of those options. Physical pleasure, accumulation of stuff, achievements, and possessions only address symptoms. No one likes going to a doctor who just prescribes treatment for their symptoms. Patients prefer an actual cure for the very cause of the disease. Likewise, no satisfaction of temporary cravings, achievements, or possessions reconciled my heart with God, so none of those things are going to cure what ails me.
What God gives us is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These things cure the holes in our hearts and are not dependent upon circumstances being favorable with our achievements, possessions, and/or pursuits.
So I won’t love the things that aren’t from God. Making sure everyone sees and knows what I have done or what I can do isn’t lasting and isn’t freeing. Accumulating pride, possessions, and popularity isn’t either. People pursue “good things” like these to make themselves feel better. But Jesus makes us feel better so we can do actual good things for him. That is better!
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:9-10)
Dear God,
Thank you for Jesus who treats my “disease” and not my symptoms. Thank you that Jesus has brought restoration between us and that makes me feel better and makes me well and free regardless of my circumstances. Help me not ever get caught up in the trap of thinking satisfying temporary cravings, achievements and possessions will make me feel better. None of those things reconciled me to you, so none of those things will help my heart. I love you and praise you, and thank you so much for a real and lasting cure! Amen!
A Real and Lasting Cure
1 John 2:15-16
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
All the world has to offer me is temporary pleasure and satisfaction and a dependency upon my own ability to achieve and possess. That is disappointing for the one who desires lasting pleasure and satisfaction and lacks in abilities to achieve and possess. There’s always someone somewhere better and with more. Thank God there is an alternative!
I love being a Christian. Having Jesus is in my life is the only way to have doubt mixed with trust, hope mixed with disbelief, and sadness mixed with joy. If someone without Jesus has doubt or sadness, that’s all they have is their doubt and sadness. They have to look to what is offered in life by the world to fill the holes in their heart. Their options include mind altering drugs prescription or otherwise, unreliable money, fleeting achievements as someone better comes along, uncertainty in the value of their possessions, relationship chasing, and suicide. There’s no hope, joy, peace, or comfort in any of those options. Physical pleasure, accumulation of stuff, achievements, and possessions only address symptoms. No one likes going to a doctor who just prescribes treatment for their symptoms. Patients prefer an actual cure for the very cause of the disease. Likewise, no satisfaction of temporary cravings, achievements, or possessions reconciled my heart with God, so none of those things are going to cure what ails me.
What God gives us is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These things cure the holes in our hearts and are not dependent upon circumstances being favorable with our achievements, possessions, and/or pursuits.
So I won’t love the things that aren’t from God. Making sure everyone sees and knows what I have done or what I can do isn’t lasting and isn’t freeing. Accumulating pride, possessions, and popularity isn’t either. People pursue “good things” like these to make themselves feel better. But Jesus makes us feel better so we can do actual good things for him. That is better!
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:9-10)
Dear God,
Thank you for Jesus who treats my “disease” and not my symptoms. Thank you that Jesus has brought restoration between us and that makes me feel better and makes me well and free regardless of my circumstances. Help me not ever get caught up in the trap of thinking satisfying temporary cravings, achievements and possessions will make me feel better. None of those things reconciled me to you, so none of those things will help my heart. I love you and praise you, and thank you so much for a real and lasting cure! Amen!
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