1 JOhn 2:15, 16

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world ~ 1 John 2:15, 16


It is so easy to fall into the trap of the world and its desires. Most of us are surrounded by prosperity and easy access to those things we may desire. Not all people, I know, but the vast majority of our nations people live with such privilege. The problem is not privilege, or in the having of things, but there is a great problem in how we value the things we have and what we desire. When we place the love of things above our love of God, we displace God from our heart. This is the sin. The desire of the flesh, desire of the eye, and pride of life become our ambition of honour, and the sin of living above others. The things of the world are not what our heart should be attracted toward, they should not take the place of God in our heart or life. The carnal things of the world are unworthy of our love and affection. Whether we read all Ten Commandments, or whether we take the condensed words of Jesus, our love first and foremost belongs to God. The sum of it is this, when the world presents itself to us, our heart is corrupted and ultimately captivated by it. When this happens, our hearts are ruled by the world rather than by God’s will and love. Jeremiah 17:9 describes the heart as deceitful above all things. We must always be on guard to keep our heart directed toward loving God, for all too easily it can be swept away by the lure of the world.

Pastor Julia

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