Battleground

There are a lot of good things all around us.

We have good families
good friends
good marriages
good health
good success
good careers
good talents
good food
good toys

But that is just what these things are.  Good.

Not great.  Not fulfilling. Not Ultimate.  Just good.

Yet this is what we chase.  We chase good.  We chase because we aren't fulfilled.  We are willing to serve, sacrifice, and live for good things.

That leads to death.

There is only One to serve, sacrifice, and live for.  There is only one who can fulfill and satisfy completely.  See what He says in Exodus.

First two commandments?  No other gods.  No making other gods.

This tells me that we are bent toward making other gods.  We want to, we must worship something.  We are incomplete and are on a mission to find what completes us.  The problem is that we naturally do not run to Jesus, who completes us.

The battleground is our heart.  There is a war going on for our affections and our hearts.  What controls our hearts, controls our lives.

Our hearts are sick and wicked.  We are dead in sin and unable to make ourselves alive.  The beauty comes when Jesus makes us alive.  He makes us well.  He completes us.  He gives joy.  He gives satisfaction.  He gives fulfillment.

If we do not attack the root of the issue - we will never change.  If we try to do this on our own, we will fail.

So what is the root?  Idolatry.

We asked the students a series of questions last night to help them discover what has captured their hearts.

It started with two statements.
1. If I could have _____________ my life would be complete.
2. I would be willing to ______________ in order to get it.