Is the Grass is always greener on the other side?
We always find something to complain about. Christians often start complaining when we start comparing ourselves to the things of the world. As the saying goes, "The grass is always greener on the other side". Is it really??
In Acts 17:27-29 we find a progression of three things that happen when you start to venture off into worldly things.
- Blinded by the world- We often miss God because we are blinded by the world. Our focus is on the latest, greatest cell phone, getting a texting plan or the fact that I need a car when I turn 16. We tend to focus on these worldly things rather than focusing on God. In eternity, the thing that really matters is what you have done for Christ.
- Bondage by the world- Once your focus is off God, the next step in the progression is bondage by the world. You can only take so much of the world before it brings you down spiritually. Sin has its way of sinking its sharp hooks into you and keeping you from serving God. You will not meet a alcoholic or a drug addict who as a young child said they wanted to be addicted when they grew up. Of course not, it is the bondage of the world that took them too far down the path of the addiction.
- Brood by the world- The Webster's dictionary define the word brood as "a group having a common nature or origin" or "the children of a family". The bondage of the world leads us to the last step of being part of the world. You become no different than the world around you and the world is controlling your life. It even gets to the point that you can't leave the world behind when you come to church.
You may find yourself at one of these points in your daily life. The beauty is that no matter where you are God is always looking and waiting for you to come back into his open arms. In Luke 15 we read the story of the Prodigal Son. We find that while the son walked down all aspects of this worldly process, the father never stopped waiting for him to come home. In verse 24 we read "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."
Bow down to God and his perfect will for your life not the things of the world.
