"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the word the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."
1 John 2:15 - 17 NKJV
Interesting and yet difficult words to comprehend. It is good to be a part of this world at the moment. Without this, we would not have all the things that God provides for us on a daily basis. We wouldn't have those who love us; or see the wonders of the landscapes near or far. We wouldn't have the wildlife - the animals, birds and the endless countryside. We wouldn't have all of the things that make life worth living. In a way, we can be accused of loving the world by stating the above. But, we are not, we just have a gratefulness to God for all of the wonderful things He has given us in the world and, we love Him for it. We love God for all He gives us and what John was saying here is quite different.
Loving the world, prevents fellowship with God. We read this in Romans 12:2, where Paul writes: 'Do not be conformed to this world but, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.' Paul was not telling us that it was wrong to enjoy what God has given us in this world but, that we should not be conformed to it so that we make it more greater than God. Paul also comments in Colossians 3:2 by saying: 'Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth.' He didn't want us getting our minds mixed up with earthly problems and quarrels.
David Jeremiah comments on 1 John 2:15 - 17 that: 'John was warning us not to love the false values, false standards and false gods of society, because whatever things are involved in the world's system are under the authority of the evil one'
When we stop and consider what is happening in our world today, where Christian standards are under threat of the bible being re-written to accommodate same-sex marriages and blessings within the church, we can easily see what John was saying. We must take stock of who we are following - God or the world, we can't have it both ways. We either believe the Word of God totally, or not.
Joshua said in Joshua 24:14 - 15:
'Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River in Egypt. Serve the LORD! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourself this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD'
There is a choice to be made and it is an important one! It is a choice that Christians throughout the world need to make and live by. There is no room for compromise in the Word of God. The bible and God's standards cannot be watered down. Therefore, it comes down to the choice that Joshua wrote. Be blessed.
Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.
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