Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 1 John 2:15-17 NASB
This was the verse of the day at Biblegateway. But what hit me this time reading it was the contrast to the 4 Gospel accounts showing the life of Jesus and His Disciples.
Ever really put much thought into this passage?
I recall those who made excuses. Luke 14:16-24 NASB "But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is ready now.’ And yet they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I purchased a field and I need to go out to look at it; please consider me excused.’ And another one said, ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ And another one said, ‘I took a woman as my wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here those who are poor, those with disabilities, those who are blind, and those who are limping.’ And later the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and the hedges and press upon them to come in, so that my house will be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my dinner.’”
We have been taught and enticed to love the world and the things of this world since we are old enough to grab onto a finger. Satan starts as quickly as he can to plant seeds of selfishness.
We have to indeed unlearn what we have learned.
The Disciples spent 3 and a half years unlearning life as they understood it.
We will do likewise spend a lifetime unlearning as we grow closer to God.
Isaiah 53:6 NASB "All of us, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all
To fall on Him."
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Does any of this reflect your life? I know this...the farther along in my walk with Jesus that I go, the more the lights in the house that is my life get turned on by Him, the more I see what He means and means to do in that work in me.
When you ask Jesus to become your Savior it's to be a life-changing event, not a tag attached to you that only comes into play at a moment in life referred to as death.
The love of the world and the things of this world. This is encompassing everything in our everyday life.
Look again at the passage with the excuses. It's obvious that Jesus could have used more in His parable. What are your excuses?
Are we even ever going to be honest enough with our depraved condition to admit we hold onto this world and the things of this world too much? That our priorities are so out of sync with God’s Word that if we really were honest that nothing but shame would threaten to drown us?
I have said on other occasions that I am a work in progress with Jesus. Have mentioned what I have referred to as Spiritual Surgeries. Recognizing the work of God in His work in me is a difference maker. It's the difference between believing in luck, bad luck, chance, and the work of the Spirit in making us more like Christ. We get to believing the wrong ideas on life because that's what Satan wants of us.
We see next the heavy use of the word lust. Dictionary definitions include, depending on noun or verb usage:
very strong sexual desire
a passionate desire for something.
a sensual appetite regarded as sinful.
have a very strong sexual desire for someone.
feel a strong desire for something.
Old English (also in the sense ‘pleasure, delight’), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lust and German Lust .
What's rather interesting to note is even Google shows an huge uptick in the use of this word in the last 10 years.
Tie this into Scripture again when also in Luke Jesus describes His return like as in the days of Noah. Would He even find the faith when He returns. In the days of Noah lust prevailed everyday, in everything, everywhere.
Lust takes your eyes off of Jesus and puts them on things in this world.
Lust invariably leads to sin.
We live in a world where it takes seconds to waste hours mindlessly spending time on things that do not edify, do not teach you or I about a life with Christ, do not do a thing to aid in growing in Christ.
Jesus, and I would have to try to look it up, on many numerous occasions taught His Disciples to separate, to get away from the world. To do what? Lounge around? To learn from God, to be with Jesus, to be with the Father.
We spend billions per year on entertainment of every kind laced with every single kind of sin and make excuses for it. Call sin what God calls it, because when you and I face Jesus HE CERTAINLY WILL.
The pride of life, not sure of the exact meaning but it sounds like pursuing personal achievements that have nothing to do with growing in Christ.
This world teaches people to lust for power and social position. To get ahead of others any way you can in order to find peace, prosperity and happiness.
Be all you can be.
Indeed life is going to be full of learning to do things, but Biblically we ought to pursue those things that grow us in Christ.
Denominations do probably more harm than good in this. Denominations are man's thoughts on the Church of God. The Bible only mentions the Church. At its barest level denominations are doing exactly what the Pharisees and Sadducee's did. Teach you THEIR way to obey and meet God using THEIR methods to do so.
We listen all too often to the whispers of Satan and not the still small voice that is the Spirit.
We listen to others opinions of us.
We listen to psychobabble about childhood memories and experiences making us this or that. We listen to the wolves in sheeps clothing that have influenced the Church which, by the way, we were warned about in Scripture.
We are to be what? Be in this world but do not be conformed to it.
Romans 12:2 NASB "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
John 17:14-19 NASB "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth."
There again is 1 Thessalonians 4:3a. God's will for you and I. Our sanctification.
Which is defined as:
the action of making or declaring something holy.
the action or process of being freed from sin or purified.
the action of causing something to be or seem morally right or acceptable.
Action. Not sitting idle. Doing something on purpose to learn to be Holy as He is Holy.
Look at what, where and who you spend/waste your time on and with.
Look at your why for doing it. Are you loving the world or the things in the world?
Look because the Spirit sure is having me write about it for a reason.
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