We love “more” don’t we? Last year, I found a story about a national seafood restaurant chain’s experience with an offer of “endless” that made me laugh. Customers were offered as much shrimp as they wanted with their meal as part of this promotion. In just three months the chain lost $11 million in unforeseen expense associated with that offer; discovering that a lot of us are gluttons.
A current promotion for a cruise line features a rotund fellow extolling the joys of “more” as he enjoys free drinks, meals loaded with calories, and other perks on the ship. Every time I see the commercial, I am amused by the irony of running such an appeal to overindulgence during the Lenten season which traditionally invites Christians to practice self-denial.
Given free rein our appetites will consume us! But, there is a choice we can make which will lead us to greater joy. Jesus points to that choice when He says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). That is not likely your favorite passage from the Gospels, nor, honestly, is it mine!
A devotional writer (Jeremy Linneman) urges us to rethink our response to Jesus’ call. “This is rightly understood to be one of Jesus’ most intimidating challenges. But it is also one of his most subversive invitations. “Get off the road that leads to death,” he’s saying. “Choose instead this unexpected way to the good life—through denying and dying to self.”
When we constantly choose the road on which we give in to our every desire, feed our every whim, and indulge each call to comfort, something happens to our character that is ugly. Self-love takes over and we turn into selfish people. The ability to be gracious, to endure the inevitable losses that come in the human experience is replaced by an insistence that life be lived on our terms all of the time.
Wants are redefined as needs.
The admiration of beauty is replaced by a craving to own it.
Discontent overwhelms every good thing, making it impossible to appreciate the
day’s blessings.
Americans bemoan the loss of civility in our culture, wondering why we are so confrontational, so angry, so quick to take offense. It is no mystery. We have fallen in love with ourselves and believe that ‘our way’ is the only way, that our desires must be met without delay.
Jesus call to self-denial does not come from some mean place that says, “if I cannot enjoy life, neither can you.” His invitation is not meant to rob us of the ability to enjoy things that are nice, or comfortable, or fun! Rather, He wants us to understand that our greater joy is rooted in love, service, and worship.
Linneman writes – “Self-denial, on the other hand, leads to a joyful submission to the Father. It is the freedom to reject the ways of the world—its anger, greed, and envy. Self-denial is an active choice to become like Jesus in his radical inner simplicity and wholehearted devotion to the Father. It is what the late Tim Keller called a “blessed self-forgetfulness.”
Two roads are in front of you and me today. We are given freedom to choose the way we take.
We can chase after satisfaction of the desires of our body, convinced that happiness will be found in having ‘more’ – money, fun, pleasure, food, things, sex, etc.! The wisdom of Heaven reminds us that “the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.” (1 John 2)
Or we can turn our hearts to God, desiring Him, asking the Spirit to help us find that “life to the full” that is found in Christ alone. Honestly, this choice is not usually the easy one, for it requires dying to Self first, before we can say Yes to the life of the Spirit.
Will you choose the greater joy?
The word from the Word is drawn from Paul’s inspired wisdom sent
to his spiritual son, Timothy. Pray for insight as you read them and may you
find the joy that lasts as you respond with a ready ‘yes.’
“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we
brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything
with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be
content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by
many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For
the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving
money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many
sorrows. But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things.
Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance,
and gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6)
Lord, lead us to true and lasting joy through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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(Video of this blog at this link)
