Friday, March 18, 2011

Love of Lies vs Lasting Love

Shel Silverstein has a poem called Peanut Butter Sandwich. It features a king who is obsessed with the delicious nutty goodness. It's all he eats; his schools teach only how to make them; it's all his chefs can cook. One day, he eats one and his mouth gets stuck shut. For years, all of his servants and subjects work on getting his mouth open. When it finally does, the first thing he does it ask for a peanut butter sandwich.

How crazy is that?! The king gets the full consequences of his actions and once the problem is solved, he runs right back to the very thing that caused him so much pain and inconvenience. It doesn't make any sense.

Awhile ago, I read about the bondage that sin casts us into. We can see exactly how it's affecting us, but we still clamor into its lap because it feels good and is comforting in all its familiarity. It's odd because sin is a false comfort; it lies to us (Romans 1:25). It tells us it's ok and then leaves us with nothing but shame and guilt. But Jesus, He is the ultimate Healer, our Rock, our Peace. What He gives to us is matchless (John 14:27). We're holding onto a lie, when it's the Truth that will set us free (John 8:32).

What lies have we fallen in love with? Let us call on the name of our Savior, and feel the redeeming power of His lasting, saving love.



Dear Lord, You are our All in All. Let us forsake the comforts of this world that we might embrace the comfort offered by Calvary's grace. You must be our source of ultimate peace. You invite us in; let us come with reckless abandon, dropping the lies we've fallen into so that we might know Your saving love deeper every day. Amen

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:32-36

No comments:

Post a Comment