Tuesday, May 29, 2012

So long, Farewell

Farewell, vain world; my soul bids you adieu. My Savior taught me to abandon you. Your charms may gratify a sensual mind, but cannot please a soul for God designed. David Brainerd



Reading today’s quote brings to mind the movie “Sound of Music” and the song the kids sang at the party right before they were marched off to bed by their nanny. One by one the kids had their own little part in the song. As they sang they did a little dance that wound up kicking in the bottom the one who just sang off the stage. One of the kids bid the crowd adieu but said she would love to stay and taste her first champagne. Her dad looked at her in a disgusting manner as he shook his head “No” and off she went.

The song they sang should be a tune in our own hearts about, “So long, farewell I bid you world adieu. My Savior taught me how to discard you.” End of song. But no! We don’t stop there we go on like the teenage daughter in the movie. “I bid you adieu BUT I’d like to stay and taste my first sin, my first chance at “living up” life before it’s totally gone, my chance to say what I want and do what I want because I am who I am.


Although we may not want to admit it we get the same look from our Heavenly Father as the girl in the movie got from hers. The answer is “No.” God doesn’t teach us how to adhere to the world but how to abandon the world of sin, self gratification, disobedience, and bad choices. God knows that the charms of the world, the things it makes look good by gratifying a sensual mind are things that are not going to please a soul designed by God for God.


If you think about it one of the things that is hard to stand up to and recognize it as good or bad is someone’s charm. Charm is a tool often used to flatter people into doing something they shouldn’t. There is good charm and there is bad charm. Charm that gets you to do something you shouldn’t is bad and that is the charisma Satan uses on us trying to get the sensual side of us caught into something it shouldn’t.


It’s important we recognize Satan’s allure for what it is and instantly tell him, “Get ye behind me Satan, I bid you adieu. Get lost, you’re a jerk.” Who ever started the rumor that we get to appeal to Satan’s charm first? Then after we have had our fun then we can save a little bit of time at the end of our lives to dedicate to pleasing God. HOGWASH!


We all have a soul in us that is designed by God for God, a soul that is meant to please the Lord not ourselves. God knew from the beginning if we weren’t designed that way we would have self-destructed a long time ago trying to please ourselves. As “charming” as doing our own thing sounds in the long run it just doesn’t work. Therefore, we need to bid Satan and his entire ways adieu before that self-destruction sets in.


What we need to practice in our lives is self-discipline instead of self-destruction. One path leads us to God, the other leads to a dead end road of pain and suffering for all eternity. There are two choices yet only one to choose from really. Now not later is the time to bid Satan adieu forever and ever. To abandon him and adopt God as God has adopted us.


Once again, second verse, same as the first “So long, farewell I bid you world adieu. My Savior taught me how to discard you.” End of song, the beginning of a precious life with God. AMEN!


Our host today is Urailak at her blog, LivingforGod. So long, farewell and see you next Tuesday.

2 comments:

Marsha Young said...

"... learn to practice self-discipline instead of self-destruction..."

A worthy goal, indeed.

LivingforGod said...

I remember that song :). Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. I really enjoyed reading your post.