September 23

Today’s Reading - Luke 6:24-26

Thought:

This reading represents the other side of the coin. If Jesus desired to comfort and re-assure those who were suffering in the last passage, He certainly intends to warn and condemn those to whom He is speaking in this passage. Understand that Jesus is not condemning those who are rich, happy, or respected based simply on their station in life. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with any of these situations, and in fact, to be joyful or well-spoken of is admirable. Jesus is speaking to and condemning those who have given their love and devotion to their earthly things instead of to God, those who revel in this world and its pleasure with no regard for spiritual things, those who strive for acceptance in the world, sacrificing truth and godliness to find it. The greatest lesson for us to learn here is that there is nothing intrinsically this world — not riches, not pleasure, and not popularity — that offers what a faithful relationship with God offers, and none of those things are worth they price that they require.

Why do you think so many people choose the world over God?