A Lesson in Godiva

The Lord just used a bowl of Godiva chocolate to teach me a lesson.  Isn't He awesome.   I came home after a long and wonderful day, concluded with some authentic and powerful worship with dear friends.  The Lord was so present.  It was amazing.  

Anyway,  I came home to see this beautiful bowl of candy.  I reached for a tantalizing Godiva caramel-filled milk chocolate candy, and then I remembered....

Today, I chose to indulge in a tootsie roll and a tootsie pop while at work. I wanted to satisfy my present desire.  The Tootsie Roll was easily accessible, it was right there in the library, while the Godiva was further away, in my dorm, on the other side of campus.  The back of my mind knew full well that this beautiful bowl of Godiva awaited, but I chose to exchange the valuable for the cheap.  

I realized how many times in my spiritual life I trade Godiva chocolate for Tootsie Rolls. Both have the same amount of calories, the same effect on my waistline; the quantity is the same, but the quality is FAR different.  So often I opt for second-best: an all right worship service, a mediocre devotional time, a satsifactory prayer life.  So often I turn to these earthly things to satisfy me, to fill me up.   As if watching a movie will actually make my life change.

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised." - Romans 1:25

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." - Jonah 2:8

"As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." -Psalm 42:1