Tuesday Reading: 1 John 2:15-17
Key Verse: 1 John 2:17
17 And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Devotion:
Last week I let Halloween pass without comment, not so much as I forgot about it but rather that I do not look at it as being anything special anymore. Gone are the days when I was willing to get out there and join in with things; is that because I am getting old? Far from it, the more that I continue my work as youth leader, the more active I become and the more I seem willing to do. It’s just that my attitude towards what I am willing to do has changed as I have grown stronger in God. The closer my walk with God, the less I am willing to get out of His will and the less I am willing to do that I know will not agree with His will.
Having compassion is not just something that we should have one towards another, human to human, because if we lose our compassion towards God then we may well lose our way with Him as well. If we lose that compassion we will be more willing to do things against God and more willing to lose our way from walking with Him. God has given us a description of the life we should try to lead through His Word for a reason; and that reason is so that we can have the best chance at walking on a steady course with Him. Giving in and going along with the rest of the crowd just because they look like they are having fun may well land you in deeper water than you first think.
Once we get over the shock of getting things wrong, or get over the disappointment of not being able to do something, we can then focus on the real side of life. When we do we will see that God has given us a life to lead that will last as long as we will allow it to. In other words it is not up to others as to how long we can live for Christ, it is up to us! We are the ones who have the choice as to whether we live for Christ or whether we give in and live for the world. A fellow youth worker challenged the children yesterday by reminding them that they can still enjoy themselves and they do not have to get caught up in this world and the worldly things. My fear is that far too many children do not have the choice because they are not told that there is a choice they can make. I proudly stand by my fellow worker.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get caught up in things?
Do you think Jesus would join you?