Devotion #4: Too Easily Pleased

I read a quote by C.S. Lewis a couple of years ago that has stuck with me ever since. He said, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” The last sentence in that quote is what has made me ponder my relationship with God ever since - we are far too easily pleased. In Romans 1:16, Paul gives us an amazing reality, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” There is no greater truth than that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is enough to save anyone in this world. It truly is the best news. However, for that news to be good for us and for it to really impact and change our lives, we need to understand why it is Good News. In order to fully grasp this, we need to understand what has caused the need for this great salvation. We need to hear the truth of the bad news.  

This is exactly what Paul does as he begins to lay out one of the greatest defenses of the Gospel throughout the book of Romans. In fact, his defense of the truth is so great that law schools will use the book of Romans to teach future lawyers about how they are to make a defense for their case! Through verses 18-32, Paul explains in great detail how fallen, depraved, and helpless mankind is. He gives examples such as sexual immorality, covetousness, and envy. I think, however, the root issue of all of these examples and why we are so fallen comes in verse 25. He writes, “Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” We have taken the infinite worth of the holy, righteous, and perfect God and have exchanged it for the things of this world that make our bellies full for a few hours. How sad is it, as C.S. Lewis said, that we are like little children who would rather make mud pies in the slums because we do know what it means to be offered a holiday at the sea? This is how desperate the need of the world is.  

Christian, you were once in this state. As Ephesians chapter 2 says, we once were in darkness like the rest of the world, but God, through His mighty grace, made us born again. Take the truth that has changed your life and go tell this fallen world that is in desperate need of it. Tell them that there is a God who loves them so much to send His own Son to the world to die for them and that with Him, we can have more joy than this world can ever offer.