What Are You Craving?

 

"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."  I John 2:15-16

Today's verse builds upon yesterday's verse, explaining why loving the world indicates a lack of love for the Father.  This verse almost seems like it was written for America in 2013.  All you need to do is survey the types of businesses that abound, as well as the type of inventory contained within stores to see our tendency toward satisfying the cravings of sinful man.  Day spas, ATV's, amusement parks, movie theaters, high-priced technology stores, designer handbags, i-phones, the list is endless.  All of  these things  exist simply because there is a huge market for these indulgent items.  Are these items  sinful?  Of course not.  Things do not create the problem.  It is the lust for things, the pursuit of things that shows priorities which are skewed.

And let's be honest.  What fun is it to have the latest gadget or style if you cannot show it off?  One person pulls out a cool cell phone, the next person feels the need for one-man-upmanship, displaying an even newer model with higher speed and greater features.  Where does it end?

The truth about lust is that it is never satisfied.  That is why people are always looking for the next big thing.  That is why a person seldom stops with marijuana use, they then move on to harder stuff.  People become acclimated to alcohol, and it takes more to get the same "buzz". Until we learn to be satisfied with what God gives us, we will never enjoy where we are or what we have.  "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"  This powerful verse says it best.

Everything we have comes from God.  When we show contempt for it, wishing it were more or better, we show ourselves to be ungrateful children.  Humility does not feel the need to exalt self, rather it allows God to remain on the throne of our lives.

Dear Lord, help me to be content with the blessings you have placed in my life.  Forgive me for times of ingratitude and greedy grabbing.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri