Dear friends, when we follow the Christ and are born again through His Spirit, we do reside in this world, but we are not of this world; we are more like travelers traveling through this world, on our way to our eternal home.
During our short stay on this earth we must therefore not be misled by the temptations of this perishable world. Be careful not to exchange the imperishable that is waiting for you, for something that is perishable.
When you truly have God’s love in you, it arouses the desire in you to break away from following, and idolizing the world, and all that is in this world.
We know that creation is not necessarily bad, for we also know that after He finished creation, God looked at everything He had made, and said it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)
However, when man fell into sin, it had a negative impact on all of creation, and we must be vigilant since then not to fall again. For example, in the desires of the flesh.
Desire also belongs to God’s creation and is not bad in itself, but desire becomes perverted if it is not addressed by God, and addressed to god. For example, there is nothing wrong in desiring God’s presence, or His love.
But your desire should not go to the things which this world has to offer.
You must not love the world and all that is in this world.
Because if someone loves the world, then the love of the Father is not in him. As what this world has to offer, stimulates selfish desire, envious greediness, and alcoholism, etc., and is often addictive.
Do not let yourself be blinded and imprisoned by these worldly desires, but let yourself be captured by the eternal love that the Father has for you. Because the lusts of the world do not come from the Father, but are offered to you by satan and his demons.
Know that the world with its desires will pass away, but those who do God’s will remain in His glory forever.
The Bible teaches us in 1 John 2:15-17
¹⁵Do not love the world
nor the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
¹⁶For 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.
¹⁷The world is passing away,
and also its lusts;
but the one who does the will of God
lives forever.
Or:
Do not love the world and the things that belong to the world. Because if you love the world, then you don’t really love the Father, because everything the unbelievers do, and want, and desire, and find important, is not from the Father, but from the world. And the world with everything that belongs to it will disappear. But if you do what God wants, you will live forever.
And further the Bible tells us:
You are unfaithful to God! Do you not know that you cannot be a friend of the world and of God? So if you want to be a friend of the world, you are naturally an enemy of God.
(See: James 4: 4)
His love and goodness educates us. As a result, we are no longer concerned with the bad things of the world. From now on we can live wisely and faithfully in this world, in the way God wants it.
(See: Titus 2:12)
If you use the things of this world, do not be influenced by it. Because the world of today will not exist long.
(See: 1 Corinthians 7:31)
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Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
Website 1: https://devotionals.harryschoemaker.nl
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