For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16
At one and a half years old, my second son Alex was obsessed with food. Anything left on the counter was fair game in his mind; so, to satisfy his insatiable appetite, he would sneak in when no one was around and help himself. He could hear the crinkle of a chip bag or candy wrapper from just over three miles away. Naturally, every time I came home for lunch, he stood at the counter and begged while my wife was preparing my food. Normally he ate his lunch a little later, so when he didn’t get anything from my wife, he liked to cry and show his displeasure. He usually felt mine after that, but for some reason, that never stopped him. So, I decided to try an experiment. He was in a good mood and had been behaving himself before I came home for lunch one day, so I made him an offer. I knew my wife was about to start making my lunch, so I asked him if he would like a piece of candy. He didn’t speak well at the time, but he understood almost everything; his eyes lit up and his little head started bobbing up and down rapidly. As he began enjoying that candy, my wife peacefully made my lunch, without so much as a peep out of Alex.
Alex’s behavior reminded me so much of the way a lot of Christians today act with the things of this world. They are so enamored by the shiny enticements that the devil puts in front of them that every time they see or hear something they shouldn’t, they are instantly drawn toward it. Satan makes worldly vices look so good that they begin to cry after those things. They will not be satisfied until they can have them. They begin to sneak around to pacify their craving for the things the world offers. To them, Biblical rules are a hindrance and a suffocation rather than a guide to help keep them straight. At the same time, God is holding out His hands filled with the blessings and the good things He wants to give them. If Christians could stop looking after the world long enough to realize just how much better the things are that God has to offer compared to what the devil displays, they would never give a second glance to the devil’s propositions.
Alex enjoyed his candy much more than he would have enjoyed the lunch I was eating (all kids would) – so God is extending to you blessings beyond your wildest imagination if you will turn your back on the world and reach out and take His offer.
Read also: 1 John 2:14-25
Quote of the day: “Decisions become easier when your will to please God outweighs your will to please the world.”