Devotional 190410

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. The Scripture that we read in staff prayer meeting this morning still ring in my ears. We came to the last chapter of Revelation where it describes the glory of our heavenly home. The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17). God is offering us a free gift of life that can meet our thirst and truly can settle our deepest desire of life. No one can fulfill us than God. He is the ultimate Giver of life. In Him we find true fulfillment of life. Amen?

The puzzle is why so many people live so badly. Not so wickedly, but so mindlessly. Not so cruelly, but so stupidly. There is little to admire and less to imitate in the people who are prominent in our culture. We have celebrities but not saints. Famous entertainers amuse a nation of bored insomniacs. Infamous criminals act out the aggressions of timid conformists. Bad-tempered and spoiled athletes play games vicariously for lazy and apathetic spectators. People, aimless and bored, amuse themselves with trivia and trash. Neither the adventure of goodness nor the pursuit of righteousness gets headlines.

This condition has produced an odd phenomenon: individuals who live trivial lives and then engage in evil acts in order to establish significance for themselves. Assassins and hijackers attempt the gigantic leap from obscurity to fame by killing a prominent person or endangering the lives of an airplane full of passengers. Often they are successful. The mass media report their words and display their actions. Writers vie with one another in analyzing their motives and providing psychological profiles on them. No other culture has been as eager to reward either nonsense or wickedness.

[Jesus said,] “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. River of living water will brim and Spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says” (John 7:37-38). People are thirst for meaning in life. People cannot live without meaning. They have to find something to make their lives meaningful. Or else they do not want to get out of bed or continue to live a boring life. Jesus came to offer our empty lives with meaning. He reminded us of an abundant life that God intend for men to live. A life that is full of purpose and love. Love makes life full of meaning and joy. Somehow Satan creeps in to replace love with hate, or to poison love with indifference. “Whatever” becomes a common word that our generation uses to indicate their ‘careless’ attitude about lives. Yes. We enjoy materialistic abundance. But we are numb to genuine love and meaningful life. People cheer for celebrities but not saints. People reward entertainers but not educators who commit to change life. Are you thirst for divine meaning of life and starve for genuine love from above. Come to Jesus. He is willing to offer life to those who genuinely seek Him for abundant living.

Love you in Him,
Lawrence