Empty

Read: Micah 6:10-16

Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver.     

                                                                                                                      Micah 6:13-14 

     Someone once said, “The devil doesn’t come dressed in a red cape and having pointy horns; he comes at you with everything you have ever wished for.” That is how he deceives so many young people who had a bright spiritual future before they fell for his lies. Living the life of a good Christian is not easy, especially in the world we live in today. If it were easy, there would be good Christians everywhere. The sad part is that true Christians are growing smaller and smaller in their number. That is due largely to the fact that many of the young men who grow up in Christian homes are not keeping the faith. On one hand, they look at the strenuous battles they must face to stay right with God, and they see the “easy,” pleasure-filled life the devil offers on the on the other. For years they have longingly looked over the fence at what looked to them to be greener pastures. One by one, the devil had laid out all the downsides of Christianity and all the benefits of leaving that life to please self. They left.

     What those young men found once they got to the other side was far from what they had been offered. It’s like looking at a beautiful house and then realizing it is just a cardboard cut-out. There is nothing more than a façade. It all looked good on the outside, but the inside was empty. Too many young men have had to learn the hard way that what the devil was offering them was not everything he had advertised it would be. They sever the ties with their families, they leave the stability of a good church, and they start chasing the “dream” they thought they were missing out on during all those years they were “forced” to attend church. They got what they wanted but, at the expense of everything they had. They found out too late that life apart from God is empty; but they had risked everything on the devil’s lie and lost it all. Most are too prideful, or too ruined, to try to come back.

     R.G. Lee said, “The devil always pays in counterfeit money.” His promises are empty, and so is life outside God’s will. Don’t fall for the devil’s lie. Realize that life in Jesus Christ is the greatest life you could ever live.

Quote of the day: “Dear God, thank you for this beautiful life, and forgive me if I don’t love it enough.”