The Thing I Love Best

1 John 2:15-17

Here’s the choice again. God is relentless about reminding me that I’m constantly faced with choosing Him or the world. It seems like such an easy decision, but I have to choose over and over again because the world seems so attractive.

But God reminds me that the world’s attractions are temporary. In fact it only gives me cravings it can’t satisfy.

Craving for physical pleasure: It’s funny how enjoying physical pleasure just makes me want more of it. When I eat a great meal, it satisfies me for a while, but eventually I get hungry again. My favorite physical activity is swimming. I could swim every day because once isn’t enough. The pleasure I get from these things doesn’t last.

Craving for everything I see: I enjoy seeing beautiful things like nice houses, gardens, beaches and mountains, but part of my response is a desire to own them. I’d love to live in that big house. I want a garden like that. I want to live right on the beach or in the mountains. Nothing I have is quite satisfying enough. 

Pride in achievements: When I accomplish something it’s exciting to celebrate and tell others about it, but it fades. Who remembers now what I accomplished last year? Not even me.

Pride in possessions: Wayne and I have a nice house and we’re working on the yard; we also have some beautiful heirlooms. But they’re a lot of work to maintain and after a while they become commonplace.  

All these things are fading away because they’re of the world and it just doesn’t last.

Fellowship with God does. 

When I choose Him, I get the love of the Father and I get to live forever. In return I want to please Him by walking in His ways. 

So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us. 1 John 2:24-25

So the choice is fellowship with God, now and forever, or temporarily enjoying the things the world offers.

Imagine doing the thing I love best, never getting tired of it, never running out of it, and it never coming to the end. That’s eternal fellowship with God.