As I was having my quiet time this morning, I was reflecting on Wednesday Night Live, the youth group service here at Westbury. I wrote a great message. I felt as though I communicated it effectively. And yet, no excitement. Often, I feel so powerless when it comes to attempting to pull teenagers away from the allure of the world and attract them to the things of the Kingdom.
This is an issue in the Church, mind you - not just among teenagers. And I think the problem is this: we give God some dinky portion of our devotion and passion and yet somehow expect to reap %100 of his presence and blessing. Of course, we don’t. And then - BAM! - there’s the World knocking at our door like a used car salesman presenting an irrefusable offer!
Sex! Popularity! Wealth! Rank! Party! Fun! Get it now! Now! Now! - and only for the low, low cost of…your soul.
And we, like a child making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by a holiday at the sea (CS Lewis), fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
In summation. We give God almost nothing, expecting everything. Then, getting nothing, the lusts of our eyes (to which Satan has appealed) steal our allegiance. And suddenly, we are God’s worst nightmare - religious.
SRay
