The Emotional Costs of Sin

Timely message from a devotional penned by Pastor Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church. Be blessed.

Thursday, August 04, 2011

The Emotional Costs of Sin
by Rick Warren

I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind. What is wrong cannot be made right. What is missing cannot be recovered. (Ecclesiastes 1:14-15 NLT, second edition)

We set expectations for what our lives should look like and then stress out when we aren't as successful as we think we should be …

When Solomon became king of Israel, God told him that he could ask for anything he wanted. Solomon could have asked for riches or power or even immortality, but instead he asked God to give him wisdom. God answered Solomon’s request, and today we have the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon that record the great wisdom Solomon received.

In today’s verse, Solomon talks about the emotional distress and disappointment that is caused by sin in our world. Solomon realized that we can’t change our past and we can’t control our future. We can’t fix the world. If we try, it will only create a lot of stress in our lives.

As Christians, we often think it’s our responsibility to go out and bring in the kingdom. But here’s a little secret: It isn’t going to happen. Can we help relieve suffering in this world? Yes, absolutely. But we cannot bring heaven on earth.

That doesn’t diminish the emotional stress of living in a broken world where nothing works the way it’s supposed to work. We all know the pain of disappointment when we expect things to be perfect and they turn out otherwise.

Have you ever had a big build-up for an event that you thought would make you happy only to be let down? The anticipation of Christmas is always better than the actual day. It finally gets here and you go, “That’s it? It’s over? No more presents?”

The gap between expectation and reality happens in relationships too. So many marriage problems exist because the husband or wife thought marriage would solve all their personal problems and their spouse would meet all their needs. All that does is set them up for massive disappointment. No spouse can meet all your needs; only God can do that.

Because sin entered the world, there is emotional distress and disappointment with other people and with ourselves too. We set expectations for what our lives should look like and then stress out when we aren’t as successful as we think we should be, or our bodies don’t look as good as we want them to, or we still struggle with bad habits or addictions that we know we should have overcome by now.

Now that doesn’t mean we should stop striving for Christlikeness; it just means we need to adjust our expectations. This world we live in is not heaven. It is not perfect, and it never will be. We are not perfect, and we never will be while we’re alive on this earth. So give yourself and everyone around you a break, and remember to thank God for his grace in this broken world.

Saddleback Resources offers a small group Bible study related to these devotionals: The Invisible War-Winning the Battle of Temptation.

© Copyright 2011 Rick Warren. Used by permission.

Today's Daily Bread

September 3, 2009

Journeys

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READ: Philippians 1:8-18

I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. —Philippians 1:12

On a map in the back of my Bible, each of Paul’s missionary journeys is shown by a colored line with arrows indicating his direction of travel. On the first three, the arrows lead away from his place of departure and back to a point of return. On the fourth journey, however, Paul was traveling as a prisoner, bound for trial before Caesar, and the arrows point only one direction, ending in Rome.

We might be tempted to call this an unfortunate time in Paul’s life, if it were not for his view that God was leading and using him just as much on this journey as He did on the previous three.

He wrote: “I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the Word without fear” (Phil. 1:12-14).

Even when our journey in life is marked by confinement and limitations, we can be sure that the Lord will encourage others through us as we speak His Word and trust in Him. — David C. McCasland

The journeys that we take in life,
Though unexpected they may be,
If we commit to follow Christ,
His work through us the world will see. —Sper

For the Christian, what looks like a detour may actually be a new road to blessing.

Walk with God

He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known. —Miles

Today's Devotional- International Friendships

August 5, 2007

International Friendship

READ: Colossians 1:3-12

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. —Colossians 1:3

About this cover

In 1947, Nadia from Bulgaria and Millicent from the United States became pen pals. For years they swapped photos, school experiences, and dreams. Then their letters stopped when government policy banned personal contact with the West.

After many years of political upheaval and change, Millicent, on a whim, sent a letter to the last address she had for Nadia. To their delight, the letter got through. Before long, they discovered that both had married doctors and both collected seashells. Forty-eight years after their first letter, the two friends finally met at Miami International Airport, where Millicent exclaimed, “Nadia! I would know you anywhere!’’

The letters of the apostle Paul overflow with affection and gratitude for his friends. In his letter to the Colossians, he wrote: “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you” (1:3). His letters also encouraged their walk with Christ (v.10).

Any friendship can be a gift from God. But nothing runs deeper than the relationships of those who share a bond in Christ. In fact, Jesus commanded His disciples: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). In Him, friendships are treasures that will last forever. —Mart De Haan

Of all the many blessings
That our gracious Father sends,
I thank Him most of all today
For loyal-hearted friends. —Halse

A true friend is a gift from God.