Monday, November 12, 2007

A Little Craving Satisfied

You know how sometimes you're craving food, but you can't quite place what's going to satisfy it? So you eat a Dove Promise from the bowl on your counter, but no (amazingly enough!), that's not quite it. And it's not a brownie either. Then you try some apple with peanut butter. No ... apple with caramel? No ... chips and salsa? Almost ... Yes! A quesadilla with melted cheese fresh tomato slices!

Okay, so maybe I'm the only one who is regularly plagued by this. Anyway, I kind of had that happen to me spiritually this morning; and this quote from John Piper's book Life As a Vapor hit the spot!
"Part of the problem of evil is the problem of why Satan is given so much freedom to harm the world, when God has the right and power to throw him in the pit. . . . Why then does God tolerate Satan? The key is that God aims to defeat Satan in a way that glorifies not only His power, but also the superior beauty and worth and desirability of His Son over Satan. God could simply exert raw power and snuff Satan out. That would glorify God's power. But it would not display so clearly the superior worth of Jesus over Satan. That will be displayed as Christ defeats Satan by His death and then by winning allegiance from the saints because of His superior truth and beauty above the ugliness and lies of Satan. . . . Without sin and law to condemn us, Satan is a defeated foe. He is disarmed. Christ has triumphed over him, not yet by casting him into hell and nullifying his influence on earth, but by letting him live and watch while millions of saints find forgiveness for their sins and turn their back on Satan because of the greater glory of Christ."

May my life today be a testimony not only to God's power, but also to the superior worth of Jesus.

(quote from Carolyn McCulley's blog; if you read the whole post, she has a few other gems from Piper's book.)

No comments: