Good morning. Today we're going to look at first John chapter 2, 15 and 16. 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. Remember that lust means very strong desire. In fact the NIV translates the first one as cravings. What's interesting is that all three words - love - in verse 15 is the Greek word agape. Too many Christians today love the world system and/or the things in the world. Instead of centering their agape on the Father and His word they center their agape on the world or the things of the world. If they centered it on Him then the things of the world would not attract them. The lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and boastful pride of life began in the garden of Eden. Eve saw that the tree was good for food – that's the lust of the flesh – that it was a delight to the eyes – that's the lust of the eyes – and that the tree was desirable to make one wise – that's the boastful pride of life. It also happened to Jesus in the wilderness. Tell the stone to become bread – lust of the flesh ( Jesus was hungry); see the kingdoms of the world – lust of the eyes; if You are the Son of God throw Yourself down - God will keep You - boastful pride of life. Of course for Christians it's usually more subtle than that. It starts out small – a little compromise here, a little compromise there. We become addicted to the things of the world. And like all addictions a little is no longer enough. We need more and more; until they become our God. If we walk in God's light, the temptations of the world will not attract us. Father help us to keep our eyes on You and not on the world. Then the things of the world will not be attractive to us. Sometimes they are not bad things; but they are not the best things.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Merry Christmas!

   Good morning, and Merry Christmas! We are going to digress and look at the first Christmas. This was something that had been foretold centuries before; and yet people still did not understand what was going to happen. They were thinking that the Messiah was going to come as an adult and was going to re-establish the nation of Israel above all other nations. They were not expecting Him to come as a baby, supposedly born to a carpenter and placed in a manger. Many things had to happen at precisely the right time. You had to have the right person to be His mother and the right person to be His supposed father. You had to have a reason for them to be in Bethlehem on the night He was born – the census. It had to be when shepherds would be in the field near Bethlehem watching their flocks. And just at the right time – an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them...
Read more

Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me

  Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
Read more
  Good morning. So Peter just told them that basically they were responsible for the death of Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brethren, what shall we do? Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we will see much later, it seems that at this point in time they believed that you could not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit without first being baptized in water. It appears that that idea did not change until chapter 10 after God baptized Cornelius and his family in the Holy Spirit before they were water baptized. Now lest someone think that this was just for the people in the first century Peter then says, for the promise (of the Father - baptism in the Holy Spirit) is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. That means us! And...
Read more