MOUSETRAP!

 

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desire pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

I John 2:15-17

Most of us go to church. Most of us are Christians. Most of us love to serve in some capacity or another.  We as Christians have some kind of idea of what a Christian “looks like.”  In the 21st century, in the USA, our biggest crime is not so much things that criminals are put away behind bars. Our biggest crimes are the same things Jesus was tempted with in the wilderness and the things Eve was tempted with in the garden of Eden. The lust of the flesh (our preoccupation with gratifying our physical desires), the lust of the eyes or materialism (craving and accumulating things), and the pride of life (the obsession with ones status or importance) are the worldly things we are warned against in 1 John 2:15-17.

These three things can have a way of slowly taking our focus off Jesus and putting it on our thoughts of not having enough, not looking good enough, not feeling important enough, not feeling full enough...needing more, more, more......it’s this very need of more that becomes the idol that God was talking about in 1 John 5:21, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” Or what about the food industry....everything is supersized....portions are out of control....our flesh wants more food, more snacks....obesity is becoming an epidemic! I have actually taught my 3 year old to say, “Mommy, I have had enough” after her 3rd serving of pancakes and her wanting more. Being able to say, “This is enough,” is priceless in today’s world. I Thes. 5:18 says, "be thankful for all things, for this is the will of Jesus Christ for us." Amen.

Things to Think About:

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

Matthew 16:26

May I Pray? Father forgive us for thinking we need more than what we have! Forgive us for buying into the lie that we need more than what we have. We thank you for all your blessings, and we ask that you direct our foot steps in where and how we serve, so our service is full of your love. I pray our service doesn’t ever become an idol...help us to love YOU and not the accolades that come by serving. Protect us from the things of this world and put a hedge of protection around us so that we live a life free of idols and worldly cares. Keep our eyes on you, our one true God! I pray our mission trips be led by your holy spirit to further your kingdom now and forevermore! In Jesus name, Amen!