JMD Devotional 142 1 John 5:21 Miserable Substitutes
1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)--[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be).
We may feel rather confident that we are not in danger of idolatry in the sense that stone effigies of fertility gods pose no temptation; but let us put this into a modern context. Is a credit card functioning as your 'savior' in every crisis? Has spending, or entertainment or any other 'benign' thing or activity become a 'pleasure button' in your life? (It is not wrong to enjoy things; but 'things' should not get the upper hand and control you). There is a hallowed place in every life meant for God and God alone; but fallen humanity fills it with miserable substitutes. What is much more insidious is when a saint swells with pride and vanity and places themselves in that hallowed place where God should rule. That person is following Lucifer's demise.
2 John 1:7-10 For these [traveling missionaries] have gone out for the Name's sake (for His sake) and are accepting nothing from the Gentiles (the heathen, the non-Israelites). So we ourselves ought to support such people [to welcome and provide for them], in order that we may be fellow workers in the Truth (the whole Gospel) and cooperate with its teachers. I have written briefly to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to take the lead among them and put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority and refuses to accept my suggestions or to listen to me. So when I arrive, I will call attention to what he is doing, his boiling over and casting malicious reflections upon us with insinuating language. And not satisfied with that, he refuses to receive and welcome the [missionary] brethren himself, and also interferes with and forbids those who would welcome them, and tries to expel (excommunicate) them from the church.
Dear God,
Every time I think my pride is conquered, it resurfaces with a vengeance! In moments of sanity I despise the blindness, delusion and strife it fosters; but most of the time I confess that I'm in league with it to my own ruin! Subdue this dragon, Lord! It changes colors instantly when challenged into false humility, which is just as repugnant. Please keep reminding me of Your sovereignty, that You are in charge, that it is Your will, Your church, Your kingdom and Your way that will prevail. May that ultimate truth bring great comfort as I quit trying to manage the Universe for You. Help me to rest under Your capable management of all things.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
http://SaintJamesPoetry.blogspot.com
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
http://jamesezadventures.blogspot.com/
We may feel rather confident that we are not in danger of idolatry in the sense that stone effigies of fertility gods pose no temptation; but let us put this into a modern context. Is a credit card functioning as your 'savior' in every crisis? Has spending, or entertainment or any other 'benign' thing or activity become a 'pleasure button' in your life? (It is not wrong to enjoy things; but 'things' should not get the upper hand and control you). There is a hallowed place in every life meant for God and God alone; but fallen humanity fills it with miserable substitutes. What is much more insidious is when a saint swells with pride and vanity and places themselves in that hallowed place where God should rule. That person is following Lucifer's demise.
2 John 1:7-10 For these [traveling missionaries] have gone out for the Name's sake (for His sake) and are accepting nothing from the Gentiles (the heathen, the non-Israelites). So we ourselves ought to support such people [to welcome and provide for them], in order that we may be fellow workers in the Truth (the whole Gospel) and cooperate with its teachers. I have written briefly to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to take the lead among them and put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority and refuses to accept my suggestions or to listen to me. So when I arrive, I will call attention to what he is doing, his boiling over and casting malicious reflections upon us with insinuating language. And not satisfied with that, he refuses to receive and welcome the [missionary] brethren himself, and also interferes with and forbids those who would welcome them, and tries to expel (excommunicate) them from the church.
Dear God,
Every time I think my pride is conquered, it resurfaces with a vengeance! In moments of sanity I despise the blindness, delusion and strife it fosters; but most of the time I confess that I'm in league with it to my own ruin! Subdue this dragon, Lord! It changes colors instantly when challenged into false humility, which is just as repugnant. Please keep reminding me of Your sovereignty, that You are in charge, that it is Your will, Your church, Your kingdom and Your way that will prevail. May that ultimate truth bring great comfort as I quit trying to manage the Universe for You. Help me to rest under Your capable management of all things.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
http://SaintJamesPoetry.blogspot.com
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
http://jamesezadventures.blogspot.com/
posted by James M. Dinsmore at 6:00 AM
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