For everything in the world . . . comes not from the Father but from the world. (1 John 2:16)
Have you ever noticed where the candy aisle is at the grocery store? You know right where it is: right by the checkout. This location is great for the store sales, but terrible for parents who were stringing their kids along while they shopped. The sight of gumballs and ring pops will inevitably lead to a stressful parenting moment and a salivating child throwing a fit!
Children see the yummy things of the world, and they want it. In fact, they think they deserve it. Adults aren’t much different though, are they? Every day, we are bombarded with advertisements that promise us a better, more satisfying life. If only we had this product, that type of body, or this relationship, then we would truly be happy. The world is a never-ending vending machine, promising us instantaneous satisfaction.
God offers us an alternative form of satisfaction. His satisfaction leads us away from the temporal stuff of this world and into a lifestyle filled with eternal gratification. By pursuing God and his purposes in the world, we aren’t left with a gaping hole in our hearts for more and better. With God, we can be led into a fulfilling experience of completeness and wholeness. The world will relentlessly pursue us, but the only way to live free is to relentlessly pursue a holy life with God at the center.
Remember that everything we need is found in God.
Ed Love has been in active ministry for seventeen years. He currently serves as the church multiplication director for The Wesleyan Church.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
