Do Not Love

With so much love talk in the books of John, I find it interesting, yet refreshing, to hear what we are not to love. 1 John 2:15-17 tells us, “Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's lifestyle – is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God's will remians forever.”

Isn't it amazing how things never seem to change at the core. Two thousand years ago the people were being told not to fall for the lust of the flesh or the eyes, and not to have pride in one's lifestyle. Sounds just like today, doesn't it? Only God could write a Book that is as relevant today as it was during Moses' time over 3000 years ago.

Let's put it in a slightly different context than what we typically think of.

The lust of the flesh: We usually think of sexual sins when we hear this phrase. Let's take it further than that though. How about lusting after too much food or drink? How obsessed have we become with our own clothing or upkeep? Personally, I think we could insert most diet plans into this catergory. We are consumed by how our own flesh appeals to others. Now don't take me wrong. I think having a healthy diet is great and we need to be concerned about our physical bodies well being, but don't you think we have taken it to the exteme in the Western world? That is a lust of the flesh.

The lust of the eyes: Once again, we tend to think of sexual sins here, but this too can have a broader meaning. How much time do we spend in even one day watching T.V., movies, computer stuff, video games, or reading books? No. These things are not wrong in and of themselves, but how have we been influenced by them? I have to admitt, there are a good many movies and shows that Kevin and I love to watch. There is one in particular that we adore and were so entertained by, but the Lord started speaking to us that we needed to throw it away. We fought the conviction for a while, until the pressure was so strong everytime we thought about watching it, that we might as well toss it. We just couldn't watch it! Why? It had become a lust to our eyes. It confronted us with many of the worlds issues that we just didn't need any extra of. There are other shows we have that bring up some of the same topics, but we have not been convicted of those. I don't know why. All I do know is that if something of the like becomes a worldly lust to your eyes, it's best to get rid of it rather than eventually have your conscience seared.

Pride in one's lifestyle: This one can go in so many directions. Do you have pride that you can get away with more junk than other Christians? Perhaps you have been blessed by the Lord in some area and you want to make sure everyone you meet knows it, not for God's glory, but so that they can see what you think God feels you deserve. Here's one that cracks me up, yet get's all of us at times – What about pride in our humility? Do you feel you deserve to live in America and be given every liberty? That's pride in your lifestyle. Pride is certainly a roaring, shape-shifting beast we can not kill on our own. We need the Lord's strength for that.

Honestly, what we focus on most is what we love. Take some time today to make sure it is not things of the world, but of the Spirit.

Let's get a Spiritual eye exam and get things focused right.