Busyness: Right Worker, Wrong Fruit

Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.

Proverbs 23:3 (NKJV)

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Genesis 3:6 (NKJV)

There shall be no foreign god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god. I am the Lord your God... Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. But My people would not heed My Voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.

Psalm 81:9-12 (NKJV)

We're eating plastic. Nothingness. Junk. Lies. 'You have eaten the fruit of lies' (Hosea 10:13). 'Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?' (Isaiah 55:2).

  • It's pumped up with artificial flavor.

  • It’s pleasing to our souls and our senses.

  • It’s wrapped up nicely with pretty paper.

  • It’s marketed by sly merchandisers.

  • It’s temporarily satisfying.

But it’s not real. It doesn’t last. It harms! I realize that masses of people are consuming and enjoying it, too!

Remember when our Teacher delivered a naked, demon-possessed lunatic... into a herd of 2000 pigs, who 'Rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned' (Mark 5:13)?

Consider one little-discussed lesson: When you run with a massive herd of swine, it's almost always a bad idea. Christians are told to take the narrow path, the road less traveled.

Nevertheless, Christians are buying and eating plastic--with countless others.

If you think I'm just talking about food--maybe a little. But Earth’s greatest producer of plastic is King Media. He’s feeding us trash and harming millions. Disorders include:

  • Narcissism: self-obsession and self-exploitation.

  • Indulgence: anything, everywhere, or all at once.

  • Avarice: insatiable greed, leading to more greed.

  • Voyeurism: living vicarious, make-believe lives.

  • Addiction: to lust, violence, and sensual highs.

  • Purchasing: ceaseless and senseless accumulation.

I’m pretty sure our Father hates plastic.

Busyness: Right Worker, Wrong Fruit (Part 5)

NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a 2013 Carey Lewis Devotion. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players. Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban