[Dailydevo] Daily Devotions Wednesday December 7, 2005

[Barry Ludwig]

Daily Devotion Wednesday December 7, 2005

The Devotions this week are written by Erin Anderson, interim director of
Young Discipleship at Zion. Her theme is Preparing for Narnia, Preparing for
Jesus.        

 

Edmund, the second to youngest of the sibling bunch, a rather impatient,
contemptible and foolish boy, follows his younger sister Lucy into the
wardrobe one day, even though he believes her accounts of this Narnian world
to be phony and outrageous.  But as he pushes through the coats which evolve
into tree branches, he enters this world.  As he stumbles along, the first
'person' he meets is the White Witch who proclaims herself as the Queen of
Narnia.  Upon meeting Edmund, the Queen, discovers he is a "son of Adam".
This is disturbing for her, since she knows of the age-old prophesy of four
such peoples who are to ascend the throne of Narnia which will subsequently
mean the end of her reign.  

She must do something to stop this, so with clever and devious tact the
Queen (White Witch) entices Edmund into her sled.  From there she offers him
a warm drink and a blanket to cover up with.  She makes him all comfortable
and than suggests that Edmund should have something to eat.  "What would you
like best to eat?" she asks.  Edmund replies, "Turkish Delight, please, your
Majesty."

Turkish Delight he shall receive.

A box filled with pounds of these very sweet candies.  As Edmund gorges
himself on the Delights, the Queen continues to extract information about
Edmund's life and siblings.  Edmund doesn't seem to mind at all that he may
be saying or giving away too much.  He is more concerned about eating more
and more goodies, for he now can't seem to stop eating them.  The more he
eats, the more he wants.  And when he has emptied the box, he longs for
more.  But the Queen Witch doesn't offer him more until she has given orders
to Edmund to bring his siblings to meet her.  She promises him more Turkish
Delight, rooms full in her castle as well as the rights to be King of Narnia
someday!  But as the story later unfolds, there is no more Turkish Delight
or being a King when Edmund returns to see the Queen.  She has tricked him,
bribed him, and lied to him.  She meant none of these promises.  She only
wanted to use him to get to the four heirs of her espoused throne.  She
wanted to destroy them all.

 

This whole scenario sounds a lot like sin to me.  At first we start out
believing things are fine, like we know how to handle our own lives, like we
don't need anyone else to tell us what to do and not do.  But then we meet
up with sin.  Sin welcomes us in, it treats us well, makes us comfortable,
and lets us do what ever we want.  It even asks us if we'd like more.  And
more and more!  Pretty soon we are basking in what we believe we want, but
something still isn't quite right.  We are not happy or content so we wish
for more.  The more we long for the more discontent we are.  We don't seem
to notice that we are giving away too much and at any cost.  We work, do and
spend way beyond ourselves and get trapped in a cycle of longing and
despair.    Sin has deceived us.  Its promises of kingship and power have
failed us.  Sin has enslaved us.  We beg and crave for more and come to a
point that we will do almost anything to get what we want. (What we think we
need at this point.)  But Sin's pleasures fade.  They were only temporary.
For a time we enjoyed the wonderful plenty offered/promised to us, but then
sin changes its tune.  We are now left with the realization that we gave a
lot for little reward- reward that has come and gone, and left us with a
wealth of negative consequences or has just about destroyed us.

 

We need help.  We have been brought to our knees.  We have fallen.

Yet this is where we meet Jesus.  Jesus is there.  Jesus has been there.
Jesus is on His knees with us, and He has taken all these empty promises and
banished them forever with His love and sacrifice. God's grace and mercy has
rid us of this sin.  We no longer need to carry this despair and brokenness.
We have been cleansed.  We have been freed.  

 

For a time we may still long for Turkish Delights, but as we give our lives,
our wants, our will over to God, we no longer crave the candy-coated
enticements of this world.  We long for the promises of Jesus, our Savior,
who will not fail us or deceive us.  And we will find much greater rewards
living in accord with Him, and drinking and eating at His eternal table.

 

Hebrews 3:12-13,  John 8:34,  Romans 6:16, &  Hebrews 11: 24-26

 

Thank you Jesus for being there to pick us up when we have fallen into
temptation.  For forgiving our sins. And for delivering us from evil.  For
Your kingdom, Your power, and Your glory are forever and ever.  Amen.

 

 

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