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It is understandable that those who believe they have come to exist on earth as a result of chance, try to get the maximum pleasure they can before they cease to exist. They think that this life is all that they have, and all their focus is on this short life-span. We who have been born again and given eternal life with God also live here on earth for a short time, but our focus is on the eternity to come! That is what matters; that is what will last.

"The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever" (1Jn.2:17). All these lusts (desires) of this earth–the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life–are only for this earth, and we will be fools if we focus our entire life in pursuit of these things that are definitely going to disappear one day.

But we are all being tempted through these desires. The crux of the temptation is to make us believe that we must satisfy these desires at any cost because they are so attractive and valuable! But are they? Are they so important to us that we are willing to sin against God in order to fulfil them? At the peak of such temptations, God's commandments, His plans for us, what He has prepared for us, His warnings against wrong doing–all become less important to us than meeting these desires.

Can we afford to live like that? Have we understood what we stand to lose if we give in to these worldly desires, or what God has prepared to grant to us if we deny ourselves the pleasure of these desires and choose to be pleasing to Him? Don't let the Devil fool us as he has done in the past. It is time for us to sober up from the drowsiness of this delusion.

What God has planned and kept in store for us is actually far beyond our imagination (1Co.2:9). Imagine giving all that up for momentary pleasure or passing gain! Whatever we store up on earth, whether it is money, pleasure, name or recognition, is not something that will give us value in eternity. The whole earth itself is going to be destroyed one day (2Pe.3:7). Also, think of the corruption that we add to ourselves every time we give in to temptation, which will certainly make it more difficult for us afterwards to make the right decisions (Ga.6:7,8). Every time we sin, we are choosing to move away from God.

How sad to see 'Christian' leaders telling people to follow their dreams (read desires)! What Jesus said was the exact opposite, "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal" (Jn.6:27). Everyone who drinks the 'water' of this world will thirst again, but we are being offered 'living water' which alone can quench our thirst (Jn.4:13,14).

We start by making one decision to live entirely for God, and then we carry our cross daily, deny ourselves and follow Jesus (Lk.9:23). That will take us closer to God and His plans.

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