DEVOTIONAL
Is Jesus Really Enou Wanting More in a Society of Abundance
W
hat cell phone do you own? Is it the newest smartphone with all the latest features? These new phones make mine seem like an ancient relic. How big is your flatscreen? Have you seen that 90-inch, 8-K, true-to-life TV with all the smart specs? This TV makes mine look undesirable. What vehicle do you drive? Have you seen the new look of some of the new SUVs? After seeing them, I look at my little car and wonder if it’s time to upgrade. We are continually being subjected to marketing campaigns. Even on social media, you can’t escape the barrage of advertisements.
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Alberta Adventist News
JUNE 2022
Remember when YouTube videos had no ads? After a while, they started introducing one every so often. Now, some YouTube videos have two ads at the beginning and several more throughout. The messages of these ads are mostly the same. “If you buy this, you can be more, have more, do more, feel more, etc.” It often leaves us feeling like what we have just isn’t good enough. Adam and Eve experienced a very similar advertising campaign. They had been given an amazing place to live. It came with delicious food, the sweetest aroma of the most beautiful flowers, friendship with animals of every kind, and most importantly, abiding love in the tangible presence of God. Really, what more could they have wanted? During the verbal exchange between Eve and the serpent,
a shift took place inside of her. The serpent was trying to get her to want something more than God had given. Her eyes fell upon the fruit, with its color, smooth texture, and a possible experience of a sweet, delicious flavor. She let herself linger in the desire to want more. Was the garden enough? Was what God provided satisfying? Was there something on which she was missing out? This same pitch is being utilized today. Do we find ourselves grasping frantically for something we hope will satisfy? Have we been striving to get our hands on that one “thing” that will finally be enough? As Christ-followers, we certainly acknowledge verbally that Jesus is enough, but maybe we have found ourselves dissatisfied. Sometimes, the ache of not having enough weighs heavily on the heart. There are moments when those ads scream a little more loudly for our attention. Nevertheless, what if Jesus has always been enough?
