Okay, in light of my picture from yesterday of what is undoubtedly some of the world's finest chocolate cake, I'm a wee bit convicted after just reading Philippians 3:17-21. In particular, verse 19 describes those who are "enemies of the cross" in this way: "their god is their belly [O mercy!], and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things." Now, praise God I'm not glorying in my shame, and the Lord knows I'm not an enemy of of the cross of Christ. But still, I do love me some chocolate...and, well, food in general. I may be a crummy cook, but I enjoy cooking...and especially eating.
So this phrase worried me until I looked it up in the NIV where it's translated "their god is their appetite." Meaning all kinds of appetites--our appetites for sex or food or money or status or success or appearance or whatever we place before our hunger and appetite for God. God created food and drink and sex and dogs and nature. These are wonderful gifts from our Creator and Giver of all good gifts.
But when we mistakenly...no, when we sinfully give over the ultimate precedence and preoccupation of our lives to the gifts--rather than the Giver--the gifts become distorted and destructive and twisted. And, boy, how easy is it to give in to our appetites--because we're sinners!
John Piper says that "preferring anything over Jesus is the essence of sin and we must fight it." And so we must wage war! He goes on to say "I hear so many Christians murmuring about their imperfections and their failures and their addictions and their short-comings, and I see so little war!...Why am I this way? Make WAR!"
On this sun-drenched August morning, I'm still savoring the memory of an anniversary dinner with my husband. I still give all my thanks and praise to the Savior who graciously gave me this husband and that dinner...and that chocolate cake! I rejoice in the gifts and say thank You thank You thank You Father!
But at the same time, I humbly ask God to enable me to ruthlessly make WAR against my selfishness and my desire to have things my way. And I wage war against those appetites that threaten to diminish my love for my Savior and my savoring of His beauty, His grace, His all-sufficiency. Only the Lord can truly and ultimately satisfy our souls and fill those empty holes of longing that humanity has, since the fall, looked to fill with the infinitely lesser and empty things of this world. Yet, all the while, the infinitely Greater and more Glorious Creator is ready and waiting to fill and fill and fill to overflowing abundance all those empty God-shaped holes with Himself. With His perfect, all-satisfying, all-sufficient, all-glorious I Am.
Help us, Father, to make war against our appetites when they threaten to steal our love and devotion for You. Keep us continually grateful for the gifts...but devoted to the Giver. Help us to savor the gifts but direct all the praise and thanksgiving to the Savior. To God be the glory.
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