JESUS AND REALITY
Learn all you need to know from his initiation, which is real and no illusion. As he taught you, then, dwell in him. 1 John 2:27, N.E.B.
Reality and illusion. The great controversy centers so much in these two contrasting words. Jesus says, "You will live only when you are connected with the Life-giver." That's reality. Satan says, "You can live apart from God, and I can sustain you." That's an illusion.
Jesus says, "Seek me first, and I will take care of all your other needs." That's reality. Satan says, "Get your own needs met first, by whatever means you can, because no one else will be looking out for you." That's an illusion.
Jesus says, "True satisfaction and pleasures are found in living for others, seeking their wholeness and happiness. This will bring you the greatest joy." That's reality. Satan says, "Real satisfaction is found by plunging into whatever brings you the most intense feelings of pleasure; let other people worry about themselves." That's an illusion.
Jesus says, "I can equip you to live--with your head held high--right in the middle of a demanding and complex world. I'm preparing you to face reality squarely." That's affirming reality. Satan says, "The real world is so terrible, so overwhelming, that you can face it only when your perceptions are chemically altered, your awareness numbed through drugs, or your senses dulled through headlong flight into frivolity." That's denying reality.
Jesus invites us to behold the world of reality--to read books about real accomplishments, to view sane perspectives of human relationships, to imagine life's realities and tranquil pleasures. He wants our minds to become accustomed to dealing with His universe as He made it--that is, with reality. Satan entices us to immerse our brains in silliness, lightweight banalities, artificial and hyped-up excitement, and other fantasy pictures of life.
This is why, in the end, God will win the great controversy. Illusion cannot survive in a real universe!
Learn all you need to know from his initiation, which is real and no illusion. As he taught you, then, dwell in him. 1 John 2:27, N.E.B.
Reality and illusion. The great controversy centers so much in these two contrasting words. Jesus says, "You will live only when you are connected with the Life-giver." That's reality. Satan says, "You can live apart from God, and I can sustain you." That's an illusion.
Jesus says, "Seek me first, and I will take care of all your other needs." That's reality. Satan says, "Get your own needs met first, by whatever means you can, because no one else will be looking out for you." That's an illusion.
Jesus says, "True satisfaction and pleasures are found in living for others, seeking their wholeness and happiness. This will bring you the greatest joy." That's reality. Satan says, "Real satisfaction is found by plunging into whatever brings you the most intense feelings of pleasure; let other people worry about themselves." That's an illusion.
Jesus says, "I can equip you to live--with your head held high--right in the middle of a demanding and complex world. I'm preparing you to face reality squarely." That's affirming reality. Satan says, "The real world is so terrible, so overwhelming, that you can face it only when your perceptions are chemically altered, your awareness numbed through drugs, or your senses dulled through headlong flight into frivolity." That's denying reality.
Jesus invites us to behold the world of reality--to read books about real accomplishments, to view sane perspectives of human relationships, to imagine life's realities and tranquil pleasures. He wants our minds to become accustomed to dealing with His universe as He made it--that is, with reality. Satan entices us to immerse our brains in silliness, lightweight banalities, artificial and hyped-up excitement, and other fantasy pictures of life.
This is why, in the end, God will win the great controversy. Illusion cannot survive in a real universe!
RSS Feed
