“…but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19, NASB)
Whenever I want to get started on a new Bible-reading program, I inevitably go back to the gospel of John. It is just my beginning point. This time I have been struck by two names given to Jesus. In chapter one he is called “the true light” and in chapter fifteen he is called “the true vine.” In both cases I am struck by the Holy Spirit’s effort to make sure I understand that Jesus is the “true” light and vine. Apparently the Holy Spirit thinks I might be attracted to other lights and other vines. Turns out, he is right.
They do not provide lasting insight into life. They are, in short, imposters, and need to be regarded as such.It is amazing to me how easily I can get distracted from devotion to Christ. In my life, it could be my campaign to lower my handicap and finally start playing the kind of golf I have always thought I am capable of. Seriously, I can do this. Or the overseas vacation/family wedding I just returned from where we went to a foreign country I had never visited before, saw some monuments, a zillion paintings centuries old, ate some fabulous food, and celebrated a wedding at a fabulous villa. Now that is living I could get used to! Or my envy of professional athletes who get to play a sport for a living. Wouldn’t that be a fulfilling way to live?
Why don’t we ask Tom Brady, premier NFL quarterback and owner of five Super Bowl rings? After winning his third Super Bowl, Brady was quoted: “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings, and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think: God, it’s gotta be more than this. I mean this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.” When pressed by the reporter with, “What’s the answer?,” Tom replied, “I wish I knew. I wish I knew.” Hmmm… apparently athletic achievement isn’t as life-satisfying as it is purported to be.
The good news is that God has known I would be attracted to these things all along, which is why Jesus warned his disciples to be aware of “the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” These are the things that often occupy my day-to-day living, but it is essential I keep them in proper perspective. They are often very good things—lowering one’s handicap, getting a chance to travel and see another country, achieving business or athletic goals. But they are not the true light or vine. They do not provide lasting insight into life. They are, in short, imposters, and need to be regarded as such.
Is there anything in your life today that is distracting you? Choose to make Christ the focus of your day. Give him the place he deserves in your thoughts and actions.
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Bob Kuecker
August 28, 2018
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.