The sorrow of those will increase who run after other gods. Psalm 15:4a
Ever-increasing sorrow.
Who wants a future that promises misery? Have you ever known anyone who wakes up excitedly each morning saying, "I can’t wait. It’s going to be such a rotten day!"? This seems ridiculous, but how many people do you know who live everyday chasing everything the world can offer – always in the pursuit of happiness?
Anything that is placed above the Lord God can become a god to me. Good things can consume my every thought. Good relationships can distract me from the most important relationship of all: the one I have with Jesus Christ. Running after other gods will only increase my pain and sorrow. Why do I so easily worship them?
Lord, I want a future that promises fulfillment and joy. Yet so much of my life has involved running after the gods of this world. Good things, fun things, things that I unashamedly do in public. Evil things, fun things, things that are only done in secret. All of these I have worshipped. Like many, I have included You in the long list of pursuits, but chasing anything besides Your glory will end in sorrow. Dr. Phil talks about putting certain things in life on "project status." Help me to understand that You are always the most important project of all.
I am humbled by Your mercy. I am humbled by the joy I feel as You heal my deepest pain. Never let me return to the gods of my past. With You at my right hand, I will not be shaken.