Spoiled Appetite
SPOILED APPETITE
Read 1 John 2:15-17.
“Sarah! Brian!” called Mrs. Swanson. “Time to get ready for church!”
“Oh, Mom!” grumbled Brian from the family room. “Do we have to? We just started playing our new video game.”
“Yeah!” agreed Sarah. “It’s neat, Mom! Can’t we stay home from church just once?”
“I’m surprised at you children,” said Mom. “You both know that studying God’s Word is more important than playing a game. Now go and get dressed!”
After church the Swansons came home to a delicious dinner of roast turkey with dressing, mashed potatoes, corn, and apple pie. But Sarah just picked at her food. When her parents asked her why, she looked embarrassed.
“Well,” she admitted, “my Sunday school teacher brought cupcakes today. She had three left, and she said I could bring them home. But I ate them instead.”
“So that’s what spoiled your appetite!” said her mother. Then Mom asked, “Do you remember the video game that you wanted to play instead of going to Sunday school?”
“Yeah, we remember,” Brian said.
“I think the excitement of that game made you ‘lose your appetite’ for spiritual things,” said Mom. “Video games can’t give our souls the spiritual food they need any more than cupcakes can give our bodies the vitamins we need. True happiness can only come as we serve the Lord and ‘feed’ on the Word of God!”
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Is there something you’d rather be doing than going to church or reading the Bible? That activity may not be bad in itself, but it is bad if it takes you away from what you should be doing for the Lord. If you want to be a healthy, growing Christian, don’t spoil your appetite!
TO MEMORIZE:
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
1 John 2:15
GIVE JESUS FIRST PLACE.
From the book
