Creator, Father, King #340

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

DO YOU LIKE LONG days at the beach, splashing in the surf, relaxing in the sand, and soaking up the sun? Do you love camping, fishing, or hiking—immersing yourself in the great outdoors where stress quickly fades into the stillness of the woods and the hypnotic rhythms of a forest stream? Do you relish sunrises, sunsets, thunderstorms, rainbows, or waterfalls? Do you like to kayak, canoe, stargaze, explore new cities, walk in the park, visit museums, or go to the zoo?

These are all ways we can enjoy God’s marvelous creation.

But wait!

Hold the phone!

Stop the presses!

Red alert!

Switch to DEFCON 5!

Today’s verse says, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you.” If we enjoy these worldly things, are we in terrible spiritual mutiny?

No, not at all. We need to understand the difference between loving the goodness of God’s creation in a positive way and loving the world in a negative sense.

What’s It Mean?

In 1 John 2:15-17, the apostle John writes the following:

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

When John speaks of the “world,” he’s referring to the rebellious system of human and satanic powers that are opposed to God. We see this in government, entertainment, fashion, media, schools, and more. When ungodly people or institutions promote unbiblical ideas, values, and goals, this is “the world.” John defines what the world offers in verse 16:

• a craving for physical pleasure
• a craving for everything we see
• pride in our achievements and possessions

These things might seem appealing at first, but in actuality, they are hollow and temporary—spiritually fatal dead ends. We would be wise to avoid them. Instead, “anyone who does what pleases God will live forever” (verse 17).

Now What?

We are all susceptible to worldly desires. Ask God to reveal your fleshly cravings, overcome them, and give you a heart for what pleases him.

Did You Know?

How do we know what pleases God? Meditating on Romans 12:2 is a good place to start!