THRILLS

Turn on the television these days and you’re likely to see a “reality” program. Spawned by the show Survivor, Hollywood churns out Fear Factor, Temptation Island, the Bachelor, etc., in ever-increasing bizarreness to titillate our senses. But these shows have little to do with reality, they are all about the pursuit of thrills. A bored nation craves standing on the edge of immoral precipices. It’s not enough to know someone is inebriated, now viewers must see vomiting—as if such disgusting behavior will in some way rivet more eyes to the box of shame.

Thrill seeking is the drug of choice for the unfulfilled. However, like every other drug the high does not last and the dosage must be increased over time to find the ever- elusive buzz. The problem with perpetually seeking electrifying moments is essentially this—most of life is not thrilling. Generally living on a diseased planet challenges us in ways that seldom include being thrilled. Is this sad? Not at all! This is reality.

Meditation
Matthew 21:8—A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Don’t be easily impressed by emotionally charged crowds. Jesus did not experience euphoria when the throngs chanted His praise and parked their cloaks before His donkey as it clopped towards Jerusalem. Luke writes that He wept over the city that could not understand the source of real peace in their obsession to make Him their political king. He saw the evil to come while they pumped their palms to the beat of liberation (Luke 19:41-44).

If you want thrills ask God to give you joy throughout the journey and stop lusting over magic mountains. Real thrill comes in the redeeming faith that knowing God means setting aside the quest for amusement to heed the call to be His servant. You can find thrill in the dreary rain if your heart is in love with Jesus. Trust me, I live in Oregon. When the hoopla dies down (as it always does), the still small Voice is the true source of chills. So please, don’t fixate on unreal programming. And if you want to spend your money finding adventure—invest in God’s kingdom. In the end, you’ll receive thrills that are eternal and fashioned by the Creator whose tastes exceed our wildest imaginations! That’s certainly something worth thinking about . . . in reveration!

Inspiration
Watch human nature; we are so built that if we do not get thrilled in the right way, we will get thrilled in the wrong. If we are without the thrill of communion with God, we will try to get thrilled by the devil or by some concoction of human ingenuity.—Oswald Chambers in The Moral Foundations of Life