February 24th, 2021
Text: 1 John 2:15
Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; (NRSV)
These thoughts are nothing new but, they bare repeating because this seems to be one of the hardest lessons for those attempting to live a Kingdom life in the midst of a broken world.
John is describing someone who loves power, prestige, privilege, and possessions. These four “Ps” describe the attraction of the broken world which Satan uses to separate us from our relationship with God. John tells us that if you love these things, you have moved away from the things that really matter to God; “The love of the Father is not in those who love the world…”
It really does make sense if one stops to think about it. These four Ps represent items over which wars have been fought, marriages have been broken, friendships have been ruined, and lives have been taken. They also represent things that have no real significance in the Kingdom of God. In a Kingdom that is predicated on the love of God and our love for God and one another, power, prestige, privilege, and possessions are completely meaningless.
Jesus tells us in Luke 12:24, “Where your treasure is there too will be your heart.” The real danger of chasing after things that are meaningless in the Kingdom of God is that our love for God diminishes and our love for the world increases. Where is your treasure? Are God and God’s Kingdom the focus of your life? Does your calendar and your checkbook demonstrate your priority for God?
Pray with me:
God of love and God of compassion draw me into a love for the things you love. Instill in me the desire for the things of your Kingdom and not the things of this world. Remind me of the finitude of this world and the eternity of life in your Kingdom. AMEN.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; (NRSV)
These thoughts are nothing new but, they bare repeating because this seems to be one of the hardest lessons for those attempting to live a Kingdom life in the midst of a broken world.
John is describing someone who loves power, prestige, privilege, and possessions. These four “Ps” describe the attraction of the broken world which Satan uses to separate us from our relationship with God. John tells us that if you love these things, you have moved away from the things that really matter to God; “The love of the Father is not in those who love the world…”
It really does make sense if one stops to think about it. These four Ps represent items over which wars have been fought, marriages have been broken, friendships have been ruined, and lives have been taken. They also represent things that have no real significance in the Kingdom of God. In a Kingdom that is predicated on the love of God and our love for God and one another, power, prestige, privilege, and possessions are completely meaningless.
Jesus tells us in Luke 12:24, “Where your treasure is there too will be your heart.” The real danger of chasing after things that are meaningless in the Kingdom of God is that our love for God diminishes and our love for the world increases. Where is your treasure? Are God and God’s Kingdom the focus of your life? Does your calendar and your checkbook demonstrate your priority for God?
Pray with me:
God of love and God of compassion draw me into a love for the things you love. Instill in me the desire for the things of your Kingdom and not the things of this world. Remind me of the finitude of this world and the eternity of life in your Kingdom. AMEN.
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