“I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1John 2:14-17 NIV)
Someone has said, “A dewdrop does the will of God as much as a thunderstorm.” And the will of God is the truly important issue. I suppose personal issues of life have a measure of importance, depending on the circumstances. One must use wisdom and give due consideration for everything.
The strength of the Word of God, alive in us, enables us to overcome the evil one and all his devices, even our own will. God’s will seems to be an easier issue for us when we love the Father more than we love ourselves and our desires.
When The Apostle John penned these immortal words, “Do not love the world or anything in the world,” he certainly recognized the enemy’s deceitful ways. He also knew the depths of human capacity for deception. He might be shocked, however, at the extent of the world’s intrusion into the Church.
We might ask ourselves, “has my faith degenerated to the level of loving the world and worldly stuff more than I love the Father?” Have we forgotten that “the world and its desires pass away”? Note the beloved Apostle’s warning, “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Worldly stuff is hardly worth spending the only life we have pursuing it. Think about it carefully. The will of God is no mere ideal. It must mean more than merely chasing after material wealth.
When we realize that God is not the source of our base desires and boastings, we can resist them and search for his will instead. It is even more important to realize that all of our stuff will disappear. BUT God’s will is eternal. So . . .
Dear Father, thank you for the choice of achieving your will. Enable us to clearly know your will for our lives. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be courageous today doing the will of God,