A Sweet Offer

Read: 1 John 2:14-25


For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.                            1 John 2:16


     At one and a half years old, my second son Alex is obsessed with food. Anything left on the counter is fair game in his mind; so, to satisfy his insatiable appetite, he sneaks in when no one is around and helps himself. He can hear the crinkle of a chip bag or candy wrapper from just over three miles away. Naturally, every time I come home for lunch, he stands at the counter and begs while my wife is preparing my food. Normally he eats his lunch a little later, so when he doesn’t get anything from my wife, he likes to cry and show his displeasure. He usually feels mine after that, but for some reason, that hasn’t stopped him yet. I tried an experiment with him the other day. He was in a good mood and had been behaving himself by the time I came home for lunch, so I made him an offer. I knew my wife was about to start making my lunch, so I asked him if he would like a piece of candy. He doesn’t speak well yet, but he understands almost everything; his eyes lit up and his little head started bobbing rapidly up and down. As he began enjoying that candy, my wife peacefully made my lunch, without so much as a peep out of Alex.

     Alex’s behavior reminded me so much of the way that a lot of young people today act with the things of this world. They are so enamored by the shiny enticements that the devil puts in front of them that every time they see or hear something they shouldn’t, they are instantly drawn toward it. He makes the worldly vices look so good that they begin to cry after those things. They will not be satisfied until they can have it. They begin to sneak around behind their parents’ backs to pacify their craving for the things the world offers. To them, the rules are a hindrance and a suffocation rather than a guide to help keep them straight. At the same time, God is holding out His hands filled with the blessings and the good things He wants to give them. If young people could stop looking after the world long enough to realize how much better the things God has to offer are than what the devil displays, they would never give a second glance to the devil’s propositions.

     Alex enjoyed his candy much more than he would have enjoyed the lunch I was eating (all kids would) – so God is extending to you blessings beyond your wildest imagination if you will turn your back on the world and reach out and take His offer.

Quote of the day: “Decisions become easier when your will to please God outweighs your will to please the world.”