Trick-or-Treat!
If you’re reading this on time, it’s probably the day before Halloween. In about 36 hours, neighborhoods will be filled with individuals of various backgrounds, all gathered for one purpose: Halloween. A night of costumes and candy. The goal is to dress up, travel from door to door and get as much candy as you can.
Beneath the costumes and candy there is something deeper to consider.
Picture this:
A night in darkness, dressed up as something you’re not. You’re moving from door to door, seeking bits of satisfaction with treats that can only temporarily (and unhealthily) satisfy you.
And this is where the point of this article ties into today’s Word.
Word of the Day:
“Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy grain and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost [simply accept it as a gift from God]. [Rev 21:6, 7; 22:17] “Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, And your earnings for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight in abundance.”
— Isaiah 55:1-2 AMP
So, which is it – a trick or treat?
Going out in darkness, seeking satisfaction at different doors to quench the hunger of an identity you don’t own. Trick? Or treat?
The Bible Says
“And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.”
— Revelation 21:6 NLT
“Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing.”
— Luke 12:13-23 NLT (Parable of the Rich Fool)
“Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
— John 6:35 NLT
The Real Treat
The Lord treats us to an abundant life of satisfaction in Him. His only desire is that we come. We do not need to dress up, we do not need to knock at doors, and we are not tricked into thinking that our nourishment is limited to temporary doses of satisfaction. He says “…eat what is good, let your soul delight in abundance” in other words, experience the overflow of satisfaction that reaches beyond your flesh. Know God and know the quenching of a thirst within your soul. Come. Drink.
Yes– It is a Trick!
The challenge to our Christian faith is we are constantly at war with what the world tells us is a treat, but we have to know and trust that the Lord’s promise of satisfaction is better than what the world can give. Different avenues of quenching our thirst in darkness is not worth the cost of not experiencing a life of abundance. The pleasures of this world — desires of flesh, eyes and pride of life (1 John 2:15-17) — are fleeting and will only choke us of what we know is true life (Luke 8:14).
As tempting and convincing candy may be, it is foolish (Luke 12:21) to look to it for nourishment of our souls. True nourishment is in Christ Jesus — the bread of life that will never allow us to be hungry again. The one who made us and engineered the systems of our bodies (both spiritual and physical) knows that bread is what satisfies. He has designed us for exactly that. He understands the emptiness of our souls, and He even created it so that we can look to Him. Not candy, not treats, not sin, but Him and Him alone. So be filled with Him and not pleasures of this world.
Call to Action
Know Jesus and continue to know Him.
Know yourself in Him.
Give up what may be tricking you. Ask the Lord to change your desires.
Do not cap your satisfaction at what you think He is able to do, but increase capacity to give Him space to move.
Recognize your need for Him.
Don’t trick yourself into treating the pleasures of this world as bread.
Originally published on the Bethel Campus Fellowship Substack.