The Cure

A terrible disease has been sweeping the nation - and the world. It's affluenza. And like I said in my previous post, it's a disease that God hates, and it strikes the most u8nexpecting victims. What exactly is affluenza? It is derived from the words influenza and affluence. You're probably familiar with influenza, but possibly not affluence, which means "an abundance of material wealth and possessions." Affluence itself is not a disease in itself; but when it becomes dissatisfaction and a constant desire for more, that's when it becomes sin. It doesn't just end with a want for more possessions, however; affluenza is the whole sense of entitlement to comfort, luxury and convenience.

Why is this? Why can't "enough" be "enough?" Maybe it's because our perspective is distorted. If we actually set our minds on things above, not on earthly things, our personal comfort will have little value to us. Ouch! That is convicting for me! In a world that feeds us lies and tells us that we need more, it's hard to live a life focused on storing up treasures in heaven! That's why we need the cure. You guessed it! Jesus Christ.

The Bible says that we are dead when we are living for our own pleasure. Jesus wants to be our sole satisfaction. As John Piper said in his book, Don't Waste Your Life, "[God] is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him" (36). I will ask you a question that always convicts me: Am I satisfied in Jesus? If He asked me to give up everything I have, could I do it? glorified

"Jesus Christ reveals Himself to those who follow in His steps. He draws near to those who build their entire lives around His pattern. If we feel far away from Him, it is very likely that we aren't truly building our entire existence around Him; that we are living far more for self than for the glory of His name....The moment that we actually deny our self, pick up our cross, and follow Jesus Christ...is the moment we are surrounded with the power and presence of His Spirit - not just every once and a while, but every moment of every day" (Leslie Ludy from Set-Apart Femininity, 68-69).

For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. (Psalm 107:9.)



When Jesus is our All-in-All, we don't need anything else. Is He your All-in-All? Is He more than enough?

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24.)