“Do
not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone
loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the
flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy
longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources
or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but
are from the world [itself].” (1 John 2:15-16)
Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:
Do you love the things of this world?
God has challenged me with that question a
lot lately. Unfortunately, when I take a
hard, honest look at my heart, the answer to that question is “yes.” My thoughts and affections are often
preoccupied with the pleasures and cares of this world.
There is only so much room in our
hearts. Love for the world, as it grows,
will eventually push out love for the Father.
God further underscores this point in
Matthew 6:24 - “No one can serve two masters;
for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be
devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God
and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).”
We may fool ourselves into thinking we can
love both God and this world, but it’s not possible. Eventually, one will take precedence over the
other though the small, daily choices we make.
And, if love for the world wins out, we will eventually find ourselves
at a place where our love towards God has grown cold (Revelation 2:4-5).
God wonderfully created us in His image
with the capacity to love and a free will to choose the object of our love, but
with that gift comes the inherent risk of someone or something being able to
take God’s rightful place on the throne of our heart.
Choose this day to forsake the things of
this world and pursue God with an undivided heart, fully devoted to Him. Besides, the things of this world cannot
satisfy the deep longings of our heart.
Only He can.
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