THE EXPULSIVE POWER OF A GREATER AFFECTION

When I was four years old and Christmas came around, I had my little heart set on Polly Pockets. They were what I went to sleep at night thinking about and praying to receive during the holidays. I was full of excitement when I received different sets from people in my family. 

A few years down the road, I was turning 9 and dreamed of an American Girl Doll that looked like me, a tiny bunk bed for her to “sleep” in, and fashionable clothes to adorn it. My dream came true and I couldn’t believe it. I immediately forgot about those tiny Polly Pockets that once filled my heart’s desires.

Many years passed, and I bore my own tiny baby. A perfect, plump, dimple-cheeked boy who was so beautiful. I couldn’t (and sometimes still can’t) stop looking at him, thanking God for the gift of a boy full of LIFE and JOY and EMOTIONS and everything about him is real. He is truly made in the wonderful image of God. I learn so much about God’s heart through parenting my son, and through his tender spirit and love for God, his family, and the people around him. What a gift. I have absolutely left the doll behind. The Polly Pockets and American Girl Doll once held my complete affection, until something of much greater value was placed into my hands. 

Once there were things we all enjoyed (maybe even loved), until Jesus breathed LIFE into our lungs and now have something truly worthy of our affection. A relationship with Him is far greater than anything we can give to follow Him.

A hymn that has become an anthem in my life says it well:

“I have decided to follow Jesus;

No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, I still will follow,

No turning back, no turning back.

My cross I'll carry till I see Jesus;
No turning back, No turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me;

No turning back, no turning back.”

Jesus is the the most worthy, loving, and loyal Father, Friend, and Lord. He is worth your time, money, resources, and anything you could leave behind to follow Him.

-Kait Richey

Practical Application: Ask Jesus to show you what you value most in your life, and if it is anything more than Him, offer it back to Jesus and repent. Idols are not just golden statues, but anything that takes the place of affection in your life that rightfully belongs to the Lord Jesus!

THE FIRST STEP AWAY FROM GOD IS INGRATITUDE

The first step away from God is ingratitude.

Take a second to think back to the moment you surrendered your life fully to God. What filled that moment? What filled your mind and heart? Most people would say that when they surrendered to the Lord they were immersed in the presence of God where they fully experienced His great love, never-ending joy, immense peace, overwhelming kindness, His goodness towards them, His infallible faithfulness, His gentleness, etc. Right then, our eternities were marked with overflowing gratitude as our hearts welcomed the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and lead us forever. What an awesome time to recount when we were made new in Jesus! What a precious and wonderful day to keep at the forefront of our memory.

Recently, I have loved digging into all of the details and historical/cultural contexts behind the many celebrations we read about in the Old Testament. People often speed through reading the book of Leviticus in an attempt to get to the more ‘interesting’ things in the Bible. Lately I’ve wanted to spend time on these skimmed over topics that God sees as important enough to include in His Word. In this specific Bible study, I have been so excited to learn about the reasoning behind all of the feasts, festivities, and holidays. Did you know that the feasts listed in Leviticus 23 are all in remembrance of a specific act of God’s faithfulness to His people? This means that God commanded these celebrations to take place in the hope that His chosen people would remember who He is and remain grateful for all that He had done for them. God intended that the act of choosing to be grateful upon remembrance would lead to celebration and ultimately would keep His people close to Him.

While our feelings may fade or change, just like the people of Israel on numerous occasions, we always carry the weighted choice of the attitude we walk in. Gratefulness is close to God’s heart because it’s the attitude He has created us for. Gratitude keeps us close to Him and drawing near to Jesus. Likewise, choosing ingratitude drags us away from our Father. To stay in step with God, we must remain grateful.

The Bible doesn’t stop encouraging us to remain thankful in the Old Testament. We read through the Gospels that Jesus never chose to be ungrateful. Throughout the New Testament we are encouraged by early church leaders (like Paul) to walk closer to God as we walk in greater obedience and thankfulness. Paul encouraged the church of Colossae saying:

“Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

Gratitude is a weapon against the enemy because the very attitude of gratitude keeps us close to the cross. Gratefulness keeps our memory close to the powerful love of God that overcame sin and death once and for all. Thankfulness keeps me near to Jesus because I am going forward with the perspective He intended.

I know we have all heard the phrase “count your blessings” at some point while growing up. My mom always reminded me of that when I didn’t want to finish the veggies on my plate at dinner. While this phrase might induce some eye-rolling, this instruction is actually a very powerful weapon to wield. By taking time to note all that God has done in your life and blessed you with, you’re removing any space for the enemy to direct your attention to what may be lacking. 

I challenge you to try it in any moment when you feel something missing in your life. Maybe you would like to have those sick, solid white Air Force Ones just like your friends, or maybe you are tired of long commutes and want more freedom of a car. I challenge you to ask God to help you see all that He has given to you as a blessing that He has poured into your life. I challenge you to go a step further and to praise Him for those blessings and to take time to worship Him for who He is. 

The good news is that if we are walking with Jesus, we always have something to celebrate in the truth of the Gospel, that our God came humbly to serve, teach, and ultimately to die for us in the hope that we would spend all of eternity with Him.

Attitudes are contagious! What attitude are you exposing to the people around you?

- in Him Olivia