“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” 1 John 2:15-17
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, enter indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:6-7
Our weekly Christian devotional
Victor exhaled the smoke in his lungs with smooth control. The burning sensation crept across his chest giving him strange comfort. Within a few minutes the edge of his day would begin to melt away and that feeling couldn’t come soon enough.
It was Victor’s weekend with his daughter Isabella. The young dad had made a promise himself to save the weed for when his little girl wasn’t around. But, his nerve wrecking day at the construction site followed him home like an angry hobbit. And that hobbit needed to be shut up.
“I’m a mellow dude on this stuff anyway.” Flicking his lighter, he bent down for another hit.
“Daddy!” Isabella called from the other room.
His buzz made her tiny voice sound as if was coming from a giant. It echoed off the walls of his bedroom, dramatically.
“Just a second, darlin’.” Calling back while pinching the end of his joint, he opened the nightstand drawer. He placed the precious remains in an ashtray for later.
“Play with me!” Bella pounded on the bedroom door.
As soon as Victor opened it, Isabella pressed her favorite Disney princess into his calloused hands. The big man half-smiled. His glassy eyes were heavy as he clutched the glittery doll.
“Why couldn’t this moment just be enough?” The young dad’s thoughts weighed him down as grabbed her tiny hand. They headed towards her pink bedroom.
When they arrived, Victor fell to his knees, facing the dream castle.
“Daddy, why do you smell so funny?” little Bella moved closer and then leaned away from him. She shielded her nose with the doll in her hands.
“Oh…you’re smelling Daddy’s…medicine.” His heart pounded in his ears, echoing off the insides of his body. Victor also remembered promising to himself that he would never lie to Isabella.
“Are you sick?” The six year old dropped her doll and moved closer to her daddy. Her big brown eyes widened even larger with concern.
Without hesitation she kissed his rough cheek, her effort to make him feel better. Taking a deep breath, little Bella seared the odor of daddy’s ‘medicine’ deep into her memory.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I claim to be a child of yours. But, when it comes down to it, I’ve don’t lean on you like a child that trusts in his/her Heavenly Father. Instead, I seem to always turn to other comforts that this world offers.
There is only death in the solutions that I turn to. The immediate gratification of drinking and drugs are far easier than relying on you.
Relying on you means that I may have to wait. Lord, you know patience isn’t my strength! I want peace. I want comfort. I want the stress to be gone…NOW!
In doing things my way, I have been halting my growth. I haven’t moved forward at all. I realize that this is because I have been muzzling the voice of the Holy Spirit. One day, my heart will be so callused from doing this, that I will no longer feel conviction for doing the things that hurt you.
Eventually, the lust of my own flesh will uproot every good dream you have for my life. Not only will I never grow in the things of you, I will be setting an example that will put a curse on the future generations of my family.
Lord, strike my heart with the reality of what I am doing. Show me in visions and dreams. Allow me to have a healthy fear of the Lord. You said in your word that this is the beginning of wisdom. I haven’t been wise in the things of God in a long time.
It’s time to step up to the best you have for me, not settle for the worst I’m so used to giving myself. In Jesus’ precious name, bless me with supernatural patience to wait on you. Help me to put you first, my family second and myself last. The world calls this foolishness, but your word says this is YOUR way. The way of the world hasn’t worked for me. Help me to obey you, Lord. Amen.”
Thank you for reading our weekly Christian devotional on verses: 1 John 2:15-17 and Romans 8:6-7
Please check back and see what we have for you next week!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan