We are never satisfied, you know that? It's a sad, sinful fact of human nature, and one of the main reasons Christ had to die for us.
God gave Adam and Eve all they could want and more...and what happened?
They wanted more.
The Pharisees were respected, privileged members of Jewish society...and what happened?
They wanted more. More power than Christ, even. They were so green with jealousy that they essentially killed the Jewish Messiah, whose coming was foretold throughout the Old Testament.
Make no mistake...they knew, and they didn't care. (They didn't know he was the Son of God...just that he was the Messiah.)
Wanting more is evil. Let's call a spade a spade.
Dear God, forgive us.
We are Adam and Eve and the Pharisees. We want more and more, even though You promise to provide. We want more things, more recognition, more power, more security, more of just about anything that feels good.
Why? Why does the serpent have such an easy time tempting us? Do we not count our blessings enough? Do we fail to say thank you? Do we fail to enjoy your presence often enough?
Yes, all of the above.
Dear God, forgive us. Fill us with gratitude so we're thirsty for you, not for more. May we rise above this wretched earth in our thoughts and emotions, and may we bathe in the security of heaven.
The only answer is Thank you. Our response to the Gospel needs to be a heartfelt Thank You. Thank you for dying for us. Thank you for loving us while we were still sinners.
My homeschooling friend and I were sharing that over the years, we've felt elated when the tax refund finally came, because in our one-income lifestyles we desperately needed it every time. Soon, repairs and necessary purchases eat it up. It's all gone and we're deflated. No more cushion. No more security. Back to living by faith, payday to payday.
Why the sadness over the loss of a cushion? God always provides, cushion or no. Yet his faithfulness is not enough for us. We want more than He provides. More of what we don't need, but merely want for our own glory.
I wish I could excise this from my life once and for all, but I can't. I can only recognize it sooner and ask for forgiveness sooner.
I will never stop needing the Gospel, and I can never stop thanking Him for it.
1 Timothy 6: 6-8 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
Luke 12:15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Proverbs 11:24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
God gave Adam and Eve all they could want and more...and what happened?
They wanted more.
The Pharisees were respected, privileged members of Jewish society...and what happened?
They wanted more. More power than Christ, even. They were so green with jealousy that they essentially killed the Jewish Messiah, whose coming was foretold throughout the Old Testament.
Make no mistake...they knew, and they didn't care. (They didn't know he was the Son of God...just that he was the Messiah.)
Wanting more is evil. Let's call a spade a spade.
Dear God, forgive us.
We are Adam and Eve and the Pharisees. We want more and more, even though You promise to provide. We want more things, more recognition, more power, more security, more of just about anything that feels good.
Why? Why does the serpent have such an easy time tempting us? Do we not count our blessings enough? Do we fail to say thank you? Do we fail to enjoy your presence often enough?
Yes, all of the above.
Dear God, forgive us. Fill us with gratitude so we're thirsty for you, not for more. May we rise above this wretched earth in our thoughts and emotions, and may we bathe in the security of heaven.
The only answer is Thank you. Our response to the Gospel needs to be a heartfelt Thank You. Thank you for dying for us. Thank you for loving us while we were still sinners.
My homeschooling friend and I were sharing that over the years, we've felt elated when the tax refund finally came, because in our one-income lifestyles we desperately needed it every time. Soon, repairs and necessary purchases eat it up. It's all gone and we're deflated. No more cushion. No more security. Back to living by faith, payday to payday.
Why the sadness over the loss of a cushion? God always provides, cushion or no. Yet his faithfulness is not enough for us. We want more than He provides. More of what we don't need, but merely want for our own glory.
I wish I could excise this from my life once and for all, but I can't. I can only recognize it sooner and ask for forgiveness sooner.
I will never stop needing the Gospel, and I can never stop thanking Him for it.
1 Timothy 6: 6-8 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
Luke 12:15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Proverbs 11:24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
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