The Ultimate Essence of Evil (2)

Hello everyone,

How are you doing on this day? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord. Yesterday, we considered how the ultimate essence of evil was to to make us desire or prefer something other than God / to lose a taste for God (full sermon here: The Ultimate Essence of Evil: The Majesty of God, the Triumph of Christ, and the Glory of Human Life). Jeremiah 2v11-13 (King James Version) says “Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

We see here how the Israelites are substituting God for something very inferior and cannot meet their needs. Through scripture, we see the Lord calling out to the Israelites to come back to Him, to love Him. But we ourselves need to continually check our hearts and our lives, to ensure that we aren’t growing cold towards the Lord and our desire for Him remains true. For instance, is your reason for getting closer to the Lord based on the fact that you love Him and desire Him, or you see Him as the means to an end? Ultimately, Jesus came that we may be brought back to God, to reconcile man to God.

God desires intimacy with us, to have a relationship with us. We see in Luke 10v39-42 how Martha was busy and encumbered with many cares, but Jesus said one thing is needful, Mary has chosen it and it won’t be taken from her. What did Mary do, she sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His words. I read somewhere recently that “from diary.” When Jesus hears your voice, is it a case of ha, she has come to ask for something, or hmm, he wants something I’m sure or are you cultivating a relationship with Him.

I pray from Ephesians 3v17-21 (Classic Amplified Version) that “May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];  [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).”