By HUNTER GREENE

I recently preached at a youth revival, and I walked in with a big Christmas gift bag with paper sticking out the top. Luckily, God gave me a little sister so she made it look nice. As I walked in, a lot of the teenage faces were lighting up wondering what was in the bag and wondering how they were going to get it. As I took the pulpit, I told them how expensive the gift was and how the gift had value. The first teen to answer my question correctly got the gift. One smart girl flew her hand in the air with excitement, and she quickly came to the front to receive her prize. As she opened it up, I watched her facial expression go from joyous and excited to disgusted and disappointed. Although the outside looked great, I had just wrapped up a bag of trash from home.
I think Satan does this to us quite often. I think he goes and finds the trash of this world and finds a way to make it shiny and attractive, and we take the bait every time. The sad thing about it is, we are usually willing to work for his trash, pay for his trash, and sacrifice for his trash. Even if it costs us our time, our money, or our health, we want Satan’s offer because it looks good on the outside. He knows what our weaknesses are. He knows exactly what good-looking girl or guy to put in front of us. He knows what car to draw your attention to. He knows what lie to tell you to make you believe you need more money and “stuff.” Our adversary knows just exactly what unfulfilling garbage to wrap up in lies of approval, acceptance, and affirmation, and we find ourselves being filled by the world rather than with God’s Spirit.
The Apostle Paul had been there too. Philippians 3:1-11 reads, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”
Paul tells us that he was a Hall of Famer when it came to being a Jew. He was a “Hebrew of Hebrews.” He knew all the Law. He was respected by many for his high status as a Pharisee. He was full of zeal as he persecuted Christians, and he even calls himself “blameless.” Paul had it all. He had tasted what it was like to have everything one could ever want in this world. Yet, he still tells us that it wasn’t enough.
Paul says that he counts it all as loss for Jesus Christ. He realized that all the money, all the sex, all the respect, and all the “junk” in the world would never satisfy him. It would only leave him empty. We too must realize that the more we chase the things of this world, whether it be status, money, sex, or nicer things, the emptier that we get. You were created with a God-sized whole in your heart, and only He, the God of the universe, can fill it. You can feel the garbage of this world, but only God can fill you.
Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” You can’t keep your 2500 square foot house. You can’t keep your 2018 Ford Mustang. You can’t keep that hefty bank account. You can’t keep your bass boat. You can’t keep your 50 acres of land. You can’t keep your clothes and jewelry. All these things will go down with the rest of the world. But if we will grab a hold of Jesus, He is the one thing that not even Satan can take from us. As Christians, Jesus Christ is our birthright. We can’t be like Esau and trade our birthright for a bowl of beans that the world offers. Don’t bite the bait of Satan this week. Tell him that Jesus is enough. Understand that God made you for Him. When your soul gets hungry, go to His Word, not the world.
(The Solution Column is provided by Pastor Brandon Young of Harmony Free Will Baptist Church, Hampton, and his associate, Hunter Greene.)