“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Cor. 4:4
Daily Christian Devotional
There is a god of this world, and his reign is quite obvious. Look at the people and positions that have the most influence and power in the world, and you will see that behind most of them, there is little good. It is sad that as a nation, we cannot trust the civil servants to actually serve the people that elect them. Gaining power, prestige or money seems to be the motivation behind most of the decisions that are made. The needs of the people are put aside in persuit of personal and selfish ambitions. The rich keep getting richer and fatter and drunker… and the poor are still suffering. Although it was never the government’s job to take care of the needy, the government’s power was never meant to take advantage of them, either. Although the influence of our leadership can be discouraging, let me encourage you as believers to be a living example of the God we choose to serve. Many needs could easily be met if we took a moment to look at other’s instead of just our own. How long has it been since you asked yourself what can you do for someone else today? What do you have that someone else could use? It is easy to get sucked into the selfish-thinking that we must attain and achieve all we can, with little concern about the well-being of others. In our own little world it is very easy to become inhumane. God help us! Protect us from the influence of a cold-hearted, money-hungry, power-seeking world. The heart that does not see or is not affected by the tragedies of our neighbors is a heart that has been blinded by the god of this world.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us. We need your intervention. This world is ruled by selfishness, cold-heartedness, evil and lust. These are the very things that destroy the heart of who we are as people and the fabric of our families. We can never consume all that we will want in our selfish, sinful nature. I pray that every person who’s heart has become cold to the things that matter (the pain and need of others) be pricked with conviction. Give us compassion for all those who are not as fortunate. Show us ways we can meet other’s needs. Please break the bonds of selfishness that desires to feed only our needs to die in the name of Jesus. We were never meant to be so distracted with the things we know we cannot take with us when we die. Lord, help us to see that when we meet our maker and He asks what we have done for our brothers on earth, that we will not hand Him our material possessions (that took most of our time, effort and passion). We know this would be consumed in the fires and will be worth nothing in the end. Lord, help us to invest in the things that matter, each other and in you. In Jesus’ precious name, bind the god of this world and take the blinders off all the ones who are lying to themselves about what matters, Amen.”