"The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night."
(Piper, John. A Hunger for God. Crossway, 1997.)
Take a moment to read that and let it sink in to your mind... Don't worry, I'll wait. What Mr. Piper is saying is that it's not the "big" sins that occasionally present themselves that keep us from fully reveling in the glory of God. It's those little things that draw us away from His presence day after day. Some examples might be that TV show that you just can't miss but is filled with subtle themes that go against Scripture, a video game that draws you in for hours that allows you to be a "hero" by killing faceless foes, books that plant seeds of lust, creating "relationships" online with strangers instead of learning about your next door neighbor, or keeping up-to-speed with every news article instead of reading the only news that matters - Scripture. (I must confess, that last one is mine.) Can you think of others? Share other examples or your own personally struggle in the comments. Here's the key and don't skip over it like I often find myself doing when an article quotes Scripture:
"Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
"Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
Luke 14:16-23 emphasis added
We have all been invited to a banquet, a great feast, yet we make excuses for not taking our seats. Instead we make excuses, I'll help by updating the excuses made in Jesus' example: "I just bought this brand new TV, it has HD and I just can't get enough of football now." "I just got poked on FB. Who did that? OH! Look what John just said, I've got to see what everyone else is saying." "My new girlfriend is great, but she's not really into religious stuff so I probably shouldn't talk about what God is doing in my life with her." Here's another chance for you to share your examples.
Why do we always put things of the world before being in the presence of our Holy Creator? Are these worldly deeds that we participate in day after day after day really more satisfying than Jesus Christ? You have been invited to the greatest feast of all time. Yes, you! All you have to do is take a seat and God promises you eternal life in paradise with rewards we can't even imagine. What is the greatest reward you can imagine? If it's not Heaven, then it's nothing compared to what Jesus has promised you.
2 comments:
Thanks for this, Sean. You've given me alot to "chew on" :) Plan on devoting some time to meditating over this in the near future!
You're welcome. One thing I'm learning is that when an odd thought pops into my mind that I wouldn't usually think about doing [like writing a blog post about a difficult topic] it's likely the Holy Spirit trying to use me for His purpose and I shouldn't ignore it. Instead, I enter into the activity prayerfully for His glory.
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