THE VERSE
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.~Colossians 3:5 (NIV)
THE THOUGHT
Of all the sins here that Christians are commanded to put to death and flee from, we will focus on just one today: greed. The dictionary defines greed as “excessively desirous of wealth or profit.” God defines greed more simply: idolatry. Greed, then, is any desire that is stronger than your desire for God. Do you want that new car more than you want to know and love Jesus? It is greed, and more seriously, it is idolatry. Do you want that second piece of chocolate cake more than you want to know and love Jesus? Put into this biblical light, our “innocent” desires and “minor” failings are seen for what they really are: a hard heart scorning the beauty of God and turning to the broken cisterns of the world for empty, idolatrous satisfaction. Nothing is more serious than idolatry; it is an insult to God and it is suicide for us. Who would have thought chocolate cake had the potential to be so dangerous?So how do we combat evil inside us, especially this pervasive and devious evil of idolatry? We fight idolatry by taking our fight to the source of idolatry: misplaced desires. If greed is any desire that is stronger than our desire for God, then we must fight to desire God more. The power of sin over us, whether it be our idolatrous longing for that car or that cake, is cut off when we realize the superior pleasure found in God. The Psalmist wrote, “Your steadfast love is better than life,” and if His love is better than our very lives, how much is it better than everything our lives are filled with! John Piper gives this insight into fighting sin: "The power of sin comes from its promise of pleasure and is meant to be defeated by the blood-bought promise of superior pleasure in God, not by raw human willpower.” Pray asking the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the superior pleasure in knowing God, read your Bible with the aim of seeing God as greater and more glorious than any satisfaction temptation can offer, and you will be well on your way to putting greed to death.
THE PRAYER
Dear God, You are more breathtaking, more beautiful, more glorious, than anything in the universe. Forgive my hard heart for loving and coveting things that are so small and worthless compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Your massive worth. Free me from my enslavement to desire, and free me to desire You more than anything on earth. I want You to be my greatest Treasure.EXTENDED READING
Colossians 3:1-81 Timothy 6:6-12
Psalm 63:1-5
Psalm 73:24-28
THE QUOTE
“God’s power operates best in human weakness. Weakness is the arena in which God can most effectively manifest His power.” ~John Stott
No comments:
Post a Comment