Intro: I deeply enjoy my life and am grateful every day for the blessings of God. These blessings are nothing I deserve, but rather promises of grace God has given to me because I love Jesus and have accepted him as my Lord. If you know and serve Jesus, those blessings are there for you, too. Life is filled with challenges, so please do not think I enjoy my life because everything I face is easy or even pleasant. I experience challenges just like everyone else in the world. As a leader of God’s people, I may face more times of testing because I love others in my care; the challenges I face help me minister to others in an empathetic and loving way.
We can all enjoy our lives, because God is good and faithful to lead believers into his promises. He is not going to stop short of providing the blessings that accompany spiritual salvation, safety, and sustenance. Honestly, those are the things I crave most. I need the Lord to save me every day from the temptations to crave and follow the ways of the world. I need the Lord to cover me with grace, so I do not crave the sin that takes me away from my abiding place in Him. I need to Lord to bring me sustenance, because when I feed on the spiritual truths of the pure Son’s life found throughout Scripture, I will be less tempted to crave the pleasures of this world that cause me to rebel against the Living Word’s authority operating in my life.
The god of this world—Satan—tries to lure God’s children into darkness and evil by promising pleasure or enjoyment that is forbidden by God. Don’t believe the lies of Satan; God’s promises are better than any fleeting pleasure this world has to offer: physical pleasure, accumulating possessions, or pride in one’s status or importance. God offers you eternal promises and an invitation to enter into his never-ending glory. I taste a bit of God’s glory now, so I can only imagine the weight of God’s glory that awaits believers when heaven [divine order] overcomes earth [man’s rebellion].
1 John 2:15-17 (NLT) Do Not Love This World
15 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. 16 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. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for blessing me with your indwelling presence. You help me resist the evil of the world by helping me remain focused on your goodness and grace extended to me each day. I love you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.