Cravings

Monday, ‎November ‎28, ‎2022

Good Morning, Lord

Verse of the Day: Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Memory verse: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Readings: EZEKIEL 33-34 1 PETER 5

Cravings

1 John 2:15-17

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Everything in the world...

...the lust of the flesh

...the lust of the eyes

...the pride of life(I want to be somebody)

These are all the world has to offer.

Think long and hard about these. Everything that we work for in this world-we are not speaking of anything God offers, only the world-everything in this world is from wanting or craving.

To crave-to have an intense desire for something.

Bottom line is, without belonging to Christ Jesus, the world has nothing to offer but craving. Come from every direction and consider all the stuff in this world-all of it.

All things we say we 'need' in this world are born from a craving-all of it.

We must have food. Go without it for a while and see if you don't crave it.

We need an education? For what? To provide all the things we crave.

We need security? Why? We need security because we crave to be secure.

Power? Money? Everything is included in everything. That is redundant, yes I get that. But our lives, outside of life in Christ, is redundant craving.

This sounds dark and hopeless, doesn't it? That is because life without Christ is hopeless. Mankind has spent centuries building great and beautiful things out of man's craving to be remembered in History. It is all perishable. Archeologists spend lifetimes digging up the past because of an insatiable craving to know 'how we got here'.

1 Corinthians 15:53-57

53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory."

That is where all this craving stops-death. In Christ, death is destroyed and is divinely gone-gone. Cravings are conquered.

John 16:33

These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you shall have distress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world.

Good News Translation I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave!

The trouble we have in this world has been conquered in Christ-thank you Lord! Your cravings and mine have all been conquered in Christ Jesus. Then why do we still want stuff?

We continue to crave because we are still in the world. We are still subject to all of life's temptations which is one of the reasons we must continue to seek God and His kingdom, Matthew 6:33, with all the energy we have. This energy is supplied by the Holy Spirit and we will not live in that power without seeking daily and being conscious of God all the time.

Being a disciple means being a student-not the kind that goes to school and gets out when the bell rings but the student who is seeking every waking moment.

Are you up to the challenge? The enemy says we are not. Jesus says we are up to any challenge-any and all temptations-He has conquered them all. But--we must remain faithful and consistent in seeking Him.

The just shall live by faith, Romans 1:17

If we live by faith, our cravings will be conquered in Christ Jesus.

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Have mercy on me for falling to my cravings. Increase my faith so I know Your power to conquer is mine if I walk as Jesus walked.

Great conquering Savior,

In Jesus name ,

Amen