Love God rather than life. This will result in a love of life.
1 John 2:15 (KJV) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:16 (KJV) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1 John 2:17 (KJV) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Here we are told not to Love the world. What is the world? Could it be the way a majority thinks? You decide we are given a definition in the next verse. (For all that is in the world) then we are given 3 things.
1) Lust of the flesh
2) Lust of the eyes
3) The pride of life
The world is made up of the lust of the flesh and the eyes and pride of life. 🧐what does that mean??
The lust of the flesh is the controlling desire that tempts us to do. Have you ever been asked or heard this question? “If you could do anything you ever wanted to do, what would it be?”
I’m sure we could all come up with an answer. Then there was the lust of the eyes. What’s the saying? 🤔Oh yes “seeing is believing.” Means that if you see something yourself, you will believe it to exist or be true. Then there was the pride of life or the consuming urge to be. If I could become…….So break it down. If a person could do anything they ever wanted to do, have anything they ever wanted to have or be anything they ever wanted to be during their lifetime you might say that this person would have gained the entire world. What does the Bible have to say about that? Matthew 16:26 (KJV) For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
What is the gain? On one hand you have everything you could possibly think of. All those that see you will say Wow he/she has it made. On the outside it does, but then there’s the loss. What is the losing in the gaining? It’s a giving or exchanging for the soul. What is the profit if you lose? First John goes on to explain why it is a futile gain.
1 John 2:17 (KJV) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
In Luke chapter 12 we see this come to life in the parable of the rich man. What do you think?
Luke 12:15 (KJV) And he (Jesus) said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
It’s not who has the most toys. In Luke chapter 12 verse 16 we read of a rich farmer whose ground brought forth plentifully. Now he has a problem his present barns were unable to store his harvest. He comes up with a plan he will pull down what he has and build greater. That was his plan. To some that might have sounded like a good plan but God called the man a fool. Why did God say that?
Luke 12:21 (KJV) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. “not rich in his relationship with God." This man thought of himself.
Luke 12:17 (KJV) And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Luke 12:18 (KJV) And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
Luke 12:19 (KJV) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
God’s response was Luke 12:20 (KJV) But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
God didn’t care so much of what this rich framer had; it was what he missed that concerned God. God said tonight you will die. Tonight you will lose control of what you think you have; now all you have worked for will belong to someone else. You missed what was important, which was an acknowledgement of me and a relationship with me. Now What?
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