It's a radical choice: Who and what will you truly love? Few questions are as difficult to honestly answer as this one.
"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. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:15-17)
The difficult word here is, "love". Having and using the things of the world is one thing; emotional attachment to them is quite another. The challenging question is, how do I know if I am in love with the world and the things of it? The answer may be as basic as the directive Jesus gave to the rich young ruler: "Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." (Mark 10:21) Jesus did not require this of every person wishing to follow Him, but He did for a young man unwilling to take this radical step. He requires the same of us if a similar attitude is present.
That which we love is that which we are unwilling to give up. If the things of this world can easily be passed from our hands to the hands of others, we likely are not in love with the world. But, that which we have an iron grip on has an iron grip on us.
According to John's words, the disparity between the system of the world and the kingdom of God could not be greater. The urgings and appeal of the system of the world are in radical opposition the Father's system. A loving stance for one is decisive hatred toward the other. Loving loyalty for both cannot coexist.
Someone once said, to paraphrase, that "most modern Christians want the good life with a little Jesus overlay." In my life, I find it difficult to totally refute that statement. Surrounded by the trappings of our modern technological world, I cannot say that this statement is totally untrue of me. In my mind, I believe that I hold the things of the world loosely, but practice may prove otherwise.
One of the most pressing and searching questions we can ask ourselves today is: Who and what do I truly love? Our future life in the age to come depends on an honest answer.
Steve
© 2010, Steve Taylor
"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. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:15-17)
The difficult word here is, "love". Having and using the things of the world is one thing; emotional attachment to them is quite another. The challenging question is, how do I know if I am in love with the world and the things of it? The answer may be as basic as the directive Jesus gave to the rich young ruler: "Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." (Mark 10:21) Jesus did not require this of every person wishing to follow Him, but He did for a young man unwilling to take this radical step. He requires the same of us if a similar attitude is present.
That which we love is that which we are unwilling to give up. If the things of this world can easily be passed from our hands to the hands of others, we likely are not in love with the world. But, that which we have an iron grip on has an iron grip on us.
According to John's words, the disparity between the system of the world and the kingdom of God could not be greater. The urgings and appeal of the system of the world are in radical opposition the Father's system. A loving stance for one is decisive hatred toward the other. Loving loyalty for both cannot coexist.
Someone once said, to paraphrase, that "most modern Christians want the good life with a little Jesus overlay." In my life, I find it difficult to totally refute that statement. Surrounded by the trappings of our modern technological world, I cannot say that this statement is totally untrue of me. In my mind, I believe that I hold the things of the world loosely, but practice may prove otherwise.
One of the most pressing and searching questions we can ask ourselves today is: Who and what do I truly love? Our future life in the age to come depends on an honest answer.
Steve
© 2010, Steve Taylor
posted by steve @ 8:11 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home