God or World – I
Choose One Everyday
Do not love the world or anything
in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 1 John 2:15 (NIV)
Thomas Guthrie in
his book Stories and Anecdotes says: If you find yourself loving any pleasure
better than your prayers, any book better than the Bible, any house better than
the house of God, any table better than the Lord's table, any persons better
than Christ, any indulgence better than the hope of Heaven—take alarm.
We live in a
material world, and if we are not careful, we can become material people. We
dress to impress, we drive in style, we enjoy good food, and we appreciate the finer
things in life, but these tastes can come at a high price. Things cost money,
and nicer things cost even more money. And that usually means that we need to
spend a lot more time working to make the money we need so we can buy the
things we want. While chasing after the finer things in life is not all bad, we
often get so preoccupied with the pursuit that we can miss the finest thing in
life: God.
A tension exists
for every Christian to live in the world but not to love the world. John
cautions Christians not to take their salvation for granted by loving the world
or the things of the world, because love for the world means the love of God is
not in us.
What John is
referring to when he says that we are not to love the world or the
things of the world is the world system. The world system is a way of thinking
and living that embraces the attitudes and beliefs of the world over the
standards of God. This attitude causes some to want what they do not have and
to trust in what they do have.
Are you
wondering whether worldliness has become a distraction in your life? Are you
unsure whether the pursuit of finer things has become a preoccupation? If so, consider
the following: Are you satisfied with what you have? Or, are you always looking
for the next, the newest, and the latest thing? Do you own anything that you would
have a difficult time letting go of? What brings you more joy: your stuff or
God? Be aware that John is not saying that everything material is evil, and he
is not saying that we never can enjoy the things of this world. That is not the
point. But if anything in a Christian’s life diminishes his or her delight in
God or the desire to do God’s will, then he or she is in danger of loving the
world more than God.
Loving God and
living for the world are mutually exclusive. That’s what Jesus also told in the
sermon on the Mount – we cannot serve both God and money, we cannot have two
masters. We cannot do both. Either we love God and live for God, or we love the
world and live for the world. Just because we live in this world does not mean
that we have to live for this world.
Let us resolve
then to keep ourselves from becoming a material person by loving what God loves
and pursuing the finest thing: God.
This is something to remember and practise at all times. Thanks.
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