In our continuing conversation on worldliness, the Apostle John has some helpful words:
“Do not love the world or 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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions — is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” -1 John 2:15-17
This one is hard to swallow because I personally struggle with it. I dig my iPhone. I enjoy my computer. I have fun working at my house. Those things aren’t necessarily evil, but they can be dangerous. If I begin to love those things more than God and his promise of eternity, I am in trouble.
You know you are in trouble when eternity with God doesn’t sound appealing to you anymore.
Sure, you want to go to the luxuriousness of heaven over the raggedness of hell. But do you truly desire to dwell with God? Or is your love of this world infiltrated your heart so much that you can’t think anything could be better than the living situation you are in right now?
For people who are having difficult times right now, eternity is a welcomed promise. But for those of us who love the things of this world too much, we have a hard time developing anticipation towards the next life.
What do you need to be on guard for?
- The desires of the flesh – those things that can make you happy (not joyful, but temporarily happy)
- The desires of the eyes – those things that the appearance of could bring you joy or approval by others
- The pride in possessions – if you focus on land, vehicles, gadgets, and bank accounts, “sin is crouching at the door” (Gen. 4:7)
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
