As children, my brother and I had been excitedly anticipating a circus in town. It was a hot summer's day, and finally, we arrived at the fairgrounds in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada, where we grew up. The two of us lined up by ourselves to get inside the circus tent. All around us, exciting smells tickled our nostrils. One of these was the tantalizing scent of cotton candy (candy floss). We had never tasted it before. We used our hard-earned money, and each of us bought a fluffy pink cloud on a stick. Mmm! As we bit into the gossamer strands, we thought that we were really living it up.

The line into the circus tent was not moving at all. The sun beat down on us, and we were getting tired and impatient. After a few bites, the cotton candy did not seem as delicious as when we first tasted it. It melted in our mouths to nothing but a sugary aftertaste. Eventually, it lay on the dusty ground, forgotten and trampled.

1 John 2:15-16a – Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. (NLT)

Our cotton candy treat started as a craving for something that we saw. We thought that it would be pleasurable, but in the end, there was no substance to it — a short-lived pleasure. Its enjoyment was brief, and as a snack, it was worthless, lacking real value.

Psalm 119:37 – Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. (NLT)

1 John 5:21 – Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts. (NLT)

Psalm 119:103 – How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. (NLT)

During the month of January, we usually hope to establish good habits, like turning our eyes to God's Word. Attempting to read the Bible regularly is at first daunting. First of all, we have to commit to a practice that may be still shaky, and then, to maintain it with the help of the Holy Spirit. We have to turn our eyes from things that have no lasting value and embrace the new life that Jesus promises us. As we read, we take in God's eternal values, and gradually, we become more like Him. As the Israelites of old were instructed to gather manna daily before it melted away in the heat of the day, we need to read the Word daily. Feeding on the Word gives us abundant life.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for Your life-giving Word. Help us to turn away from things that have lesser value and take real nourishment from Your Word. Help us to establish and maintain the good habit of reading Your Word. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Alice Burnett <terrencera.burnett@gmail.com>
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Send your feedback to the author