You can't love this place!!!
Earth….it’s where we live. It’s more than home though, it is a collection of amazing environments, natural landscapes and astounding creatures.
Yet, the world (as distinct from Earth, the physical place we inhabit) is the melting pot of culture, religion (false or otherwise), art, music, literature (both modern and ancient), and philosophical world-views. It is this that we are impacted by, perhaps even infected by. Going with the flow of the masses is not always the right thing to do.
John, one of the twelve original disciples spoke clearly and frankly about what we are to love, and what we are to place our focus on in 1 John 2:15-17. It is a very interesting passage, and John was writing specifically to believers.
So, what does this passage have to say to us, some 2000 years after it was written?
Well let’s dive in to these three truth filled verses….
1 John 2:15-17…
Verse 15: “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.”
What does this world offer us? It offers us wealth, fame, leisure and pleasure, lust and influence.
If we ‘love’ - meaning we pursue those things before all others - those things then we cannot have the love of the Heavenly Father in us.
Why??? Because the love of the Father is sacrificial, it is full of love, peace and gentleness. If you strive after the things of the world, you have to actively, and consciously act and think in a way that is contrary to the character and nature of God.
Verse 16: “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”
The reason why focussing on pleasure, lust for things to own/possess, and having pride in ourselves for what we can achieve in our natural giftings (physical and intellectual) - these are all self-centred.
Self-centredness takes your eyes and thoughts away from God. You begin to worship and praise yourself rather than God - and that is the depth of our sinful depravity.
Verse 17: “And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
This physical world will end…that is assured and repeated all throughout the Bible - both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Part of our hope that stems from our faith in Jesus Christ is that we will have an eternal relationship with God, we will not perish as the mortal, natural things of this world will.
In direct opposition to the ways of the world, Mark 12:29-31 (and elsewhere in the gospels) tells of Jesus’ reply to a lawyer who asked what the greatest commandment is - Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” This should be how we approach our faith and relationship with God. Our focus, our thoughts, our actions should always be oriented towards the Kingdom of God, and the King of Kings.